The Chosen Few
by ZOMAN388
Summary: When Commander Shepard and her Squad go to investigate an unknown signal, they find themselves in a very different world. A world were aliens are hostile, where humanity sits on the brink of extinction, and where everything they once knew has changed. Now, they must help save reality itself from the coming darkness. The die has been cast. All of them have been Chosen.
1. Threats and Confusion

Commander Shepard jolted awake, gasping for air and coughing as her eyes snapped open.

Immediately, her eyes were struck with the harsh glare of the sun, causing her to squint her eyes closed again and release a hissing wheeze. Where was she? What had happened? She slowly opened her eyes again, seeing a blue sky, and a bright sun. She coughed again, struggling to bring air into her lungs. Felt like a Krogan was sitting on her chest. Slowly, the air returned to her lungs and she could breathe properly again. She tried to move, to sit up or look around, but her body wasn't responding. She closed her eyes again, gritting her teeth.

"Focus on your hands, form a fist," she told herself. Slowly, very slowly, her right hand closed into a fist before opening again. Then the left did the same. Slowly, like a trickle of water, feeling gradually returned to her, and with it came the pain. She hurt all over, like she had been thrown through a wall then fell twenty feet. Shaking her head, she slowly sat up, groaning in pain from her sore muscles. She opened her eyes again, and scanned her surroundings. She was in, a junkyard? For as far as she could see, the rusty shells of cars and planes littered the ground. Snow had covered it in a light blanket of white, and the uncovered dirt was a dead brown in color. Bitter cold wind blew across the landscape, blowing particles of snow, and blowing the few pieces of old, shredded cloth stuck within the cars like small flags. However, what confused her the most were the rusted cars. They were human cars. And not just that, but old ones, like from films taking place centuries in the past old. Where the hell was she? She placed an armored hand on her throbbing forehead. What had happened? How did she get here? She struggled to remember.

She had been on the Normandy, on route to…. somewhere, when they received a strange transmission. Not a message, or a warning, just a signal, almost like a homing beacon. They had followed it. Garrus, Liara and herself had gone down to investigate and….

She growled in frustration, unable to remember any more than that. Why couldn't she remember what happened. She'd never struggled with memory loss before. Something truly terrible, or weird, must have happened. Then a thought struck her. Liara and Garrus! Her head shot up, and she scanned the surrounding area. They were no were in sight. Gone. She panicked slightly, but only a little. They may be trapped and separated in an unknown location, but she was confident that they'd be able to meet up again. If they all ended up here. She panicked slightly again, however it quickly faded. Panicking would help nothing and she needed to remain calm if she was going to find them. She slowly rose to her feet, cursing at her sore body. She checked herself for injury. Her armor was intact, but it did have a few scuffs and burns on it. No blood, which was a relief considering how terrible she felt. Somehow, she had managed to lose her helmet and weapons. Luckily, the air was perfectly breathable, but not having weapons bothered her. She attempted to activate her omni-tool, hoping she'd be able to pick up a communication from either Liara or Garrus. However, it wouldn't respond. She frowned, and tried again to turn it on. It flickered on for a second before sputtering off again. She cursed. Without her omni-tool, she was left with little more than her armor and her wit, stuck in the middle of a strange, unknown place. She sighed heavily, shaking her head again to clear away the lingering dizziness and migraine. She needed to get moving, who knows what dangers this land might hold, or what danger her friends could be in. Checking her surroundings again, she settled on heading towards a large, rusted plane that sat atop a hill. Hopefully she'd be able to climb up it and find something useful in this wasteland, maybe even her comrades. She set off towards the plane, a hand on her sore stomach and a slight limp in her step.

"Garrus, Liara. Wherever you are, don't worry. I'm coming for you."

* * *

Tri Saberlinx-013 remained completely still, holding his Questing Beast auto rifle close to his chest. Their target was close, and they were not going to let him escape this time. He and his fire-team, known as Saber Squad, had been pursing Archon Priest Javvick for nearly two days now. Now at last, they had found him, and prepared a trap to eliminate him for good. Javvick and his personal escort would be moving down the ruins of this city street on a routine checkup of House of Winter supplies. It was within this street, along an intersection, were they would strike. Tri had placed himself on the ground, hidden in the alleyway. As the team's titan, he was meant to be the muscle, smashing through Javvick's shields and being a diversion. Crystal, the fire team's warlock, was positioned within one of the buildings. If he looked, he could just make out the tip of her hand cannon along the windows edge. Without a doubt, she was crouching beneath it, ready to release her nova bomb when the time came. However, possible the most important member, Amber, was located on the roof of a nearby five story building. As the team's hunter, she was wielding her sniper rifle, her scope drained on the streets. It was her job to pick off the guards once the diversion started.

The plan was simple. Once Javvick and is escorts arrived, Tri would roll a flash grenade out in front of them, blinding them. Amber would then snipe the heads off of the guards, and if possible, put a few rounds into Javvick's legs to discourage running. Crystal would then leap out and launch her nova bomb, obliterating any remaining guards and draining Javvick's shields. Tri would then leap out and proceed to unload his rifle into the target as Crystal and Amber took crack shots, each one's main focus being to keep him from running. Now, it was time.

Tri glanced around the corner, and saw their target. Walking down the street, twenty yards out, was Javvick, ten feet tall, his large helmet catching the glare of the fading sun. His armor was like most Archon's but his had some differences. Vex platting was bolted to his chest, left should and right arm, and a head piece had been welded between his two horns. Javvick was known for his obsession with the Vex, and it definitely showed. Even his weapon, an enlarged shrapnel launcher, had Vex tech attached to it, most likely to improve its killing potential. Surrounding him were his guards, consisting of 10 dregs, 8 vandals, 2 captains, and even a Servitor. He silently cursed. He hadn't expected the Servitor. No matter. It changed little. He slowly began counting down, listening to the steps of their targets. 10, 9, 8, 7, he could hear them approaching. 6, 5, 4, a dreg stepped on a piece of glass, causing a cracking noise to ring out. 3, 2, 1!

He popped the pin of his grenade, and it began glowing blue. With a steady hand, he rolled it out. "We got you now you bastard." A cry of alarm sounded from one of the dregs before the grenade went off with an electrical thud. Tri, whipped around the corner, auto rifle raised, watching what happened next. The Fallen were screaming in pain and confusion, the dregs practically tripping over each other while their superiors growled in frustration, their eyes covered due to the pain. That's when the shots rang out. Clear and true, sniper rounds took the heads off of the two captains, and a third struck the Servitors eyes, causing it to explode, the protective field it was projecting fizzling out. A fourth round then zipped by, striking Javvick's unshielded knee, causing him to stumble, growling in pain. That's when Crystal lept out of the window, her momentum carrying her into the air as she reared her arm back, her hand glowing with void energy before she thrust it forward, launching out her Void lance straight towards the Fallen's feet. The resulting explosion vaporized the remaining guards, leaving a disoriented and damaged Javvick behind.

Tri charged, roaring at the Archon as he charged him, rifle aimed. Javvick lifted his head just in time to catch several auto rifle rounds to his face, causing him to stumble back from the force of the impacts. Leaping into the air, Tri continued to fire into the Archon's face, however, that's when Javvick struck. Swinging his large arms, he swatted Tri from the air, propelling him into a nearby building, where the wall then collapsed on top of him, trapping him underneath the rubble. Javvick then roared in fury, lifting his shrapnel launcher as he reveled four Vex slap rifles bolted to his lower arms as his shields came online. He opened fire, his launcher aimed at Amber and the slap rifles aimed at Crystal. Amber rolled away from the buildings edge, barely dodging the molten junk that hissed by. Crystal dove back into her building, avoiding the slap fire.

Pressing her back to the wall, she placed a hand on her helmet. "Where did he get those slap rifles? He didn't have those before!"

Tri groaned over the comms, struggling to dig himself out of the rubble. "Must have been from his last pick up. Keep him pinned. Get his attention so Amber can pop some shots."

"What about you Tri?"

Despite the concern in her voice, Tri chuckled at her question, however it was clear he was struggling. "Don't worry. Once I get out, he's going to regret punching me into this wall."

She lowered her hand, glancing back out the window. Javvick had his full attention on Amber, who was desperately trying to avoid the fire of his five guns. Crystal then looked to her left, spotting the buildings busted down door. Thinking fast, she rolled to her left and came up on one knee. Raising her Byronic Hero hand cannon, she fired off three shots, the first connecting with Javvick's shrapnel launcher, throwing off his aim, while the other two plowing into his head. He immediately stopped firing, snarling as he turned to face her, guns raised. She quickly dove out of the door way, but not before tossing her scatter grenade, which bounced off the Fallen's head before breaking, scattering its bomblets all over his body before covering him in Void explosions, causing his shields to falter. He roared in fury, following Crystal's acrobatic dodges and blinks, trying to hit her to no avail.

Amber, seeing an opening, leapt off her building towards the roof of a shorter one, using her double jump to cushion the fall. Kneeling down again, she raised her sniper rifle and fired three armor piecing rounds into Javvick's head, resulting in his shields breaking with a crack before the last bullet buried itself into his helmet. Javvick stumbled forward, the bullets impact to the back of his head catching him off guard. He turned to face her, but was greeted with two more rounds striking his face, busting some of the glowing eye like lights on the helmet as well as causing him to stumble backwards in pain. He then roared in fury, swinging his lower arms in a wide arch, forcing both Amber and Crystal to dive for cover as their shields nearly broke. That's when Tri finally arrived. Having freed himself from the wall, he sprinted towards Javvick, roaring in protest. As he drew closer, he lowered his shoulder. Javvick turned just in time for Tri to shoulder smash straight into him, arc energy exploding from the built-up energy and the impact. Javvick was knocked to the ground, with Tri straddling on top of him. Raising a crackling fist, he smashed it into Javvick's face, resulting in another explosion of arc energy that cracked his mask. He groaned before smashing his own fist into Tri's chest, knocking him clear off. However, this time, Tri caught himself, skidding to a halt on his feet. He rose his rifle and let loose. Javvick struggled to his feet, roaring as he lifted his lower arms and fired the slap rifles at Tri, but he ignored the shots and continued to fire. Frustrated, Javvick charged Tri, firing his shrapnel launcher as he went. Tri's shields broke, forcing him to leap out of the way as the Archon barreled past. He looked down, spotting a few burning hole in his armor, and noticed the pain, but he ignored it. Anther sniper round struck Javvick head, causing him to stumble again as he turned to face them. Amber suddenly lept down from her perch and landed next to Tri, raising her scout rifle and adding her fire to Tri's. At the same time, Crystal emerged, her New Monarchy sidearm in hand as she also began unloading into Javvick. However, before they could kill him, Javvick slammed his right fist into the ground. Immediately, a white shield, similar to a Hydra's, appeared, blocking all their rounds. Tri held up a fist, and the guardians stopped shooting. Javvick was breathing heavy, multiple cuts and bullet wounds leaking ether onto the ground as he slowly back down the street. Suddenly, he dropped the shield, and took off in a dead sprint so fast that it surprised the guardians.

Quickly calling in their sparrows, the chased after him in a high-speed chase. Incredibly, the Archon was still able to out run them, despite the fact he was not only on foot, but also a 10-foot behemoth running down crowded and decrepit streets. Even with that, the sparrows were barley keeping pace.

"Crystal, flank left. Amber and I will keep him busy."

Crystal responded with, "Copy that" before turning off at the nearest intersection. They continued chasing Javvick, taking many twists and turns, but were always several steps behind him.

"Geez, I never knew that Fallen could run this fast for this long."

Tri gave Amber a quick glance. No doubt she had a look of shock on her face. He shrugged. "Can't keep it up forever. He'll run out of road or…"

Before he could finish, Crystal appeared directly in front of Javvick's path. She quickly blinked off of her sparrow, narrowly dodging as he ran straight into her sparrow. The sparrow tripped him up and sent him careening through a warehouse wall. The guardians quickly lept off their sparrows, guns pointed at the large Fallen. He lay there, sprawled on the floor, barely moving. Slowly, they entered the warehouse, and they saw why he wasn't moving. A large metal beam had impaled itself through his chest, effectively skewering him and pinning him to the ground. Ether ran like rivers down his chest, and one of his upper arms was bent at an awkward angle. His helmet was cracked opening, showing his four, pupil-less eyes and his blade like teeth, more ether leaking from his mouth. He glared at the guardians, and attempted to rise, grabbing at the beam in his chest, but this resulted in him coughing up more ether as he groaned in pain. He fell back to the floor, gasping for breath.

Tri turned to his companions. "Stand down. I will settle this."

The two women glanced at him before lowering their guns and looking back at the almost heartbreaking site, neither comfortable with it. Though she'd never say it out loud, Crystal took no pleasure in killing or causing harm, but she still did it out of duty. However, it pained her to see any life-form, even a Fallen, suffering. Amber on the other hand had no issues with killing her foes, however, this brutal scene was comparable to torture, and she wasn't a fan of that. Tri walked up to Javvick, his Future War Cult fusion rifle in his hands. He jumped up, landing on his chest, causing Javvick to cough again from the added weight. Tri aimed his gun towards his head, and Javvick turned to face it, locking eyes with the guardian.

"If you think I'm the most dangerous thing in this system, you are sorely mistaken." The voice was weak, harsh, and spoken with a guttural accent. Tri lowered his gun slightly. He knew that Fallen were capable of speaking English, he just never expected Javvick to be one to do it. Narrowing his eyes, Tri rose his gun again.

"You may not be the most dangerous, but you are still an enemy of the city."

Javvick chuckled painfully, more ether seeping from his mouth as he coughed again. "Of course. Your precious Last City. You truly believe that it won't fall?" Tri went to speak, but was cut off. "Your dead god won't save you from what's coming."

That perked Tri's interest. "And what exactly is coming?"

Coughing, Javvick spoke in a weak but deadly tone. "A storm. A storm that will consume all life within this galaxy. Eliksni, Human, Cabal, Hive, Vex, and hundreds of others. ALL WILL DIE!" His voice grew distant and shaky. "I've seen it. I've looked into the eyes of the Vex and seen what they fear. The instruments of our destruction have been chosen, and when they arrive, nothing will survive." Tri dropped to one knee, driving it into the flesh around the beam. Javvick choked slightly before coughing up more ether as Tri locked eyes with him.

"And why are you telling me this?"

The life was draining from his eyes, but Javvick still smirked weakly. "I just wanted you to be aware of the futility of your actions."

The light then faded from his eyes, and he slumped to the ground. Tri lowered his head, and his ghost emerged, it's Vanguard shell shining brightly even in the dying light.

Glancing towards it, he asked, "What do you think all that was about?" His ghost narrowed its eye before flying over and began scanning Javvick's face and helmet.

The ghost continued to scan Javvick as he spoke in a strong, masculine voice that could pull off humor if he wanted to, but mostly remained serious. "I'm not sure, but it might be wise to warn the vanguard about this." Tri rose a brow, but his ghost answered his question before he could ask it. "Javvick is well known among the Fallen as a prophet and mystic. It's said that his tampering with the Vex drove him mad, but if I'm reading this correctly, he wasn't wrong. There truly is something that the Vex fear is coming. Something big." He turned and faced Tri, who stared at him with a disbelieving look.

"Please don't tell me that you're actually saying that…"

"That the words of a half mad Archon are true. Of course not. What I'm saying is that what he said goes along with these Vex data files." Tri sighed, then slid off the body, approaching his squad. Amber tilted her head before speaking.

"What were you doing to his body?"

Tri shrugged, waving her off. "You know Sparks, he likes to over analyze everything."

"This has to do with the threat he gave, doesn't it?" He turned and looked at Crystal. He should have known she would agree with Sparks and take interest in it. She usually did, and she was a warlock after all.

"Yes but, really, it's nothing important."

"You call a threat of the total annihilation of all life nothing important?"

"A threat coming from the mouth of a dying, delusional, half mad lunatic. You can't possible think he was being serious."

"Yeah, I'm going to have to agree with Tri. Dead Fallen doesn't seem like the most reliable source."

Crystal sighed, rolling her eyes at them. "Are you two really that thick that you're not even a little bit concerned about this?"

Tri raised his hands slightly in surrender. "Ok. Calm down. I'm going to report it to the Vanguard, and let them handle it, alright."

She sighed, then nodded. "Alright. I guess that's all we can do." Tri then placed a finger on his helmet, signaling their ships to come and pick them up.

As the ships appeared, Amber turned to Crystal. "Hey Chris. I need to head to Old Russia and pick up some more spin metal. Want to come with. I'll teach you how to throw a knife."

Crystal sighed, shaking her head. She never liked that nickname Amber gave her, but no amount of asking would get her to stop. "No. I need to get back to the Tower and finish my research."

Even through the transmat, she could hear Amber groan. "Ugh. You guys are so lame. One wants to turn in a dumb report and the other wants to stick her nose in more books. Don't you ever do anything exciting."

Tri huffed over the comms. "Don't you ever stop complaining."

Amber snapped at him, "Zip it spark plug!"

"Shut it meat bag!", he shot back. Amber chuckled some as Crystal groaned in annoyance. These were the common insults that the two shared, and despite Crystals insistence, they never stopped the name calling, even during open combat. Luckily, Tri enjoyed the name calling almost as much as she did, and it was now basically their way of letting off steam, unless of course it got to the point when they started swinging, which only happened about once every few months.

"Fine. I'll just go by myself. If I find a legendary item, I'm not sharing it."

Tri rolled his optics. "Like that ever happens."

With that, their ships took off towards earth. Once they arrived, two went towards the Last City, while the third turned towards Old Russia.

* * *

Shepard grunted in pain as she hauled herself up on top of the old plane. Why was she in so much pain, it wasn't like she hadn't been injured before. Something really weird must have happened to her. Having finally reached the top of the large wreckage, she stood up, and scanned the surrounding area. The junkyard stretched as far as she could see in every direction. However, the more she looked, she more she realized that this wasn't a junkyard at all. Yes, she could clearly see that his was an old interstate. She could make out the old and broken down asphalt and even the remains of an old overpass in the distance. This was definitely something out of old earth. But how could this possibly be earth. Interstates such as these had been re purposed long ago, and all this tech was recycled, not a single piece aloud to rust. And yet, here she stood, within a grave yard of cars and planes along an old interstate. Also, how did the planes get here? She glanced down at the one she stood on. There wasn't much left. Mostly just the wings attached to a broken fuselage, certainly nothing that would explain how it got here.

"So, if this is earth, where are all the people?"

Her eyes fell upon something in the distance. She squinted, lifting her hand to cover her eyes from the sun so she could see it better. Yes, there was definitely a building over there, farther down in a valley. Looks almost like an old gas station. She shook her head. This was just too weird. She hopped down from the plane, then immediately regretted it when she hit the ground and her weak legs gave out, causing her to crumble to the ground and eat the dirt.

"Dang it! Stupid sore muscles." She grumbled to herself, spitting dirt from her mouth as she stood back up. "I hope this isn't permanent. Driving me crazy. I mean look, it's got me talking to myself." She sighed in annoyance and set off towards the old building, attempting to walk quickly before returning back to her painful limp after her legs loudly protested. It was going to be a long day.

Finally, after about thirty minutes, she reached the building. Old and rusted would be an understatement. The metal walls were completely covered in rust, and all the windows were long gone. Snow had blown in through the large holes in the wall, and the ceiling had completely fallen in on one side. However, it provided shelter from the wind and glaring sun, so it was enough. Shepard placed her back to a wall, then slowly slid to the ground, hissing in pain as she did. Her muscles received sweet relief once she sat, and she let out an explosive sigh, resting her head against the wall. "This sucks," she said aloud, knowing full well that no one was around to hear her. She closed her eyes, and listened the sound of the wind. And the static and muttering of a communicator. Her eyes opened again. Communicator?

She could hear it clearly now. The distinctive buzz of static along with some kind of speaking. She sat up as quickly as her body allowed before walking into a second room. There, sitting in the corner, was something she couldn't identify. It was about 5 feet tall, and looked like a pillar of some sort, made out of welded plates of red metal. Yellow lights dotted it here and there, but most interestingly was the large white… symbol, crudely painted on its side. It was two incomplete circles, underlined with a line that curled downwards on the left side. A second line was above the right-hand circle, before turning sharply and running down the right side of the symbol. The static and muttering was definitely coming from this device, and now that she could see it, she was certain that it was alien in design. She walked up to it, and ran a hand across its surface. No rust. These plates were smooth and clean, even slightly warm, and the lights on it shone brightly, not a single bulb was broken. She studied it, trying to find a button or switch, anything to use the device for her advantage. But she found nothing. Why was this alien communicator on earth, if this was earth? What happened to this place?

* * *

Amber lept over the stone with graceful agility, flipping in the air. In the same motion, she released her knife, throwing it towards her target. It flew through the air in perfect spirals before connecting with the skull of the unaware dreg. It let out a short scream of pain, its body going ridged as a large amount of gaseous ether erupted from the skull around the puncture wound before the dreg dropped dead to the ground. Landing on her feet like a cat, Amber strode up to the dead alien and pulled her knife out, wiping the ether off on her sleeve before she stuck it back in its sheathe. She was always one to brag about her skills in killing with stealth, but this time, it was a dreg, and therefore wasn't terribly impressive. Stretching her shoulders, she started jogging up a hill. So far, her trip had been successful. She'd found 4 pieces of spin metal, and had completed a search and destroy patrol, earning some extra glimmer. With luck, the old gas station up ahead had another piece inside.

As she got closer she heard the familiar buzzing of a Fallen transmitter. Odd, she didn't remember one being here. With a shrug, she stepped into the gas station, and spotted what she was looking for. She squatted down next to the spindly silver weed, drawing her knife and cutting it free from its base. She held it up, allowing her ghost to transmat it into storage. "How many more till I can upgrade my sniper Buggy?" She glanced to the side where her bright green Ghost materialized. Yellow butterfly wing patterns flanked its yellow eye, and it spoke with a soft, feminine voice.

"About three more to get the capacity upgrade. Four if you want the stabilizer as well."

"OOO. That's true. Hmm. Definitely worth it." She stood back up and walked into the other room. There in the corner was the transmitter. Buggy flew over too it, and began scanning it.

"Anything interesting?" Amber asked, tilting her head. However, Buggy remained silent, surprising Amber. Usually ghosts, especially Buggy, responded quickly, so if a ghost was silent, it usually meant they had found something either shocking or unknown.

"The Fallen," her Ghosts voice came back slow and unsure, "seem to have found something of interest."

"Really? What is it? Another working jump ship? Maybe a nuke?" Amber crossed her arms, curious to what they had found.

Buggy shook from side to side, mimicking a head nod no. "No. A person. They seem to have found a human like creature which they can't identify." Amber rose a brow. "The Devils found it within the wasteland, and their trying to contact their Kell for conformation on what to do." Amber stroked her chin, or more accurately, the bottom of her helmet, thinking to herself. A human like creature that's not human. Can't be Hive, the Fallen would know that, so what could it…

Her train of thought was interrupted by an unknown female voice. "Hello?" Amber spun around, pulling out her scout rifle and aiming it at the female's head, whose hands immediately shot up in surrender. After a few seconds, Amber took her head away from her rifle scoop, confused. Before her stood a human woman. Middle aged. Red hair and green eyes. She was wearing form fitting black body armor, quite unlike anything she had seen before. A red and white stripe ran down her right arm, from shoulder to wrist. The symbols N7 were placed on the right side of her breast plate. Amber scanned her up and down. Asides from the strange armor, she seems like a perfectly normal human, but it was clear she wasn't a guardian. She was also completely unarmed; however, her armor did bare noticeable battle damage in the form of scuffs and burns. The woman stared back at her with equal amounts of confusion, however, despite having her hands held up, her eyes showed no fear whatsoever. A brave one. Amber lowered her rifle, and tilted her head.

"What the hell is someone like you doing out here?"

* * *

 **Authors Note: This is my first time writing a Destiny or Mass Effect Fanfic. I have a lot of experience in Destiny, and play it a lot. Mass Effect however, while I haven't played it, have a very large amount of knowledge on it. So please forgive me if any of the characters don't act exactly like they do in game. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the first chapter. Please review and tell me what you think. I'm open to constructive criticism. Until next time, ZOMAN out!**


	2. Confusion and Fear

Garrus's head was swimming. Pain, so much pain. Like a Krogan smashing his head with its fist repeatedly. His breathing was labored, and his body felt as if molten lead had been poured over it, heavy and burning. "What in the Spirit's happened to me?" This question looped in his mind as he struggled to gain consciousness. "Shepard. Liara. They were with me." He let out a weak groan, trying to regain control of his body, but something was stopping him. His memories slowly cleared, as if a presence was pulling them from the depths of his skull. "We set down. I told Shepard that I didn't like it. That…thing. It moved, then… A flash of light…"

"The creature is stirring."

Garrus's mind froze. That voice. It wasn't his. It was deep. Robotic. Thrumming through the air like a vibration before finishing in a sharp twang.

"We should kill it."

"No. Its mind could be useful. He, could be useful."

That second voice sent chills down his spine. It was feminine, and seemed to have a tone of authority. And yet, it was cold, harsh, and made his skin crawl.

"It knows too much."

"Which is why it shall be of great use to us, once we have helped it."

Something was wrong. There was a presence in his mind, preventing him from moving and pulling out his memories. Upon this realization, it grew colder, its grip tightening as it tried to wiggle deeper into his mind and suppress his control.

"We should allow him to look before we begin."

The presence left, and he regained control of his mind. He shuddered, his muscles twitching as the feeling of control returned. His breathing cleared and he gasped, his eyes opening to pale light. Then, they widened upon seeing what gazed down at him.

"Spirits save me."

* * *

Shepard stared at the strange being that stood before her. It looked human. Two legs, two arms, one head. An overall human shape. In fact, maybe even female, judging from the widened hips and narrow waist. However, the armor was a different design than she'd ever seen before. This armor was a brilliant green in color, with yellow accents, hardly camouflage or military grade. It was a combination of armored plates and what appeared to be armored cloth covering the midriff, and joints. A faded yellow cape like cloak with blue outlines wrapped around its neck and descended down its back, reaching to its knees. The cloak also had a hood, which was pulled up over the fully armored head. The helmet seemed to have a breath mask attached to it, and had no distinct visor, at least not one Shepard could see through. The weapon it held seemed more human, but was still far different than anything she'd seen before. Looked like a rifle, with its scope and long barrel. Another weapon, most likely a sniper rifle, was slung across its back, and a knife sheathe was attached both to the bottom left of its breast plate as well as its right thigh. Strange indeed. It then lowered its weapon, and appeared to look her over. If she wasn't mistaken, it seemed almost as confused as she was. But she kept her arms up. No point in angering it.

"What the hell is someone like you doing out here?"

Shepard blinked, caught off guard. Did it just speak to her? In English? The thing's head was tilted sideways, waiting. Shepard licked her lips, lowering her arms. She had to be certain.

"Beg Pardon?"

The thing, or human, looked over her again. "I said, what the hell is someone like you doing out here? I mean, I've heard of non-guardians exploring the wastes before, but they usually have a weapon with them at the very least, if not an escort."

Ok, it was definitely speaking English, fluently, and it thought she was normal, so this thing was either an armored human, or something that had worked with humans in the past. Maybe it was one of those guardians it spoke of.

She cleared her throat, ignoring the burning that had returned to her sore legs. "I…I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not sure how I got here. I don't remember anything. I just, woke up out there." She paused. What if this was the one who brought her here.

The figure sighed. "Don't remember anything huh? Well that's just brilliant."

"Maybe she fell and hit her head."

The second voice came from a small mini drone which had suddenly appeared from behind the figure, surprising Shepard. It had a green body that seemed to be made of eight pointed green pieces stuck around a yellow eye. Yellow butterfly wing markings were painted on the pieces that flanked the eye, almost giving it the appearance of a children's toy.

The figure turned its head to face the drone, then nodded. "That's true. A good knock on the head would make anyone forget things. Think she's a guardian then?"

The drone flew towards Shepard, getting right in her face, its eye narrowing. She didn't flinch or move, but simply raised an eyebrow at the drone hovering inches from her face. It then circled her, almost as if it was scanning her. This was all too confusing.

"I don't think so. I mean, I'm not seeing any light in her. But there's no darkness either. It's almost as if she has light, but it's locked away inside her."

"Way to be cryptic Buggy. You've been talking with Eris again haven't you?" The drone, which was apparently named Buggy, turned and faced the figure, almost as if it was annoyed. Was this thing an AI?

"I have not. You know she freaks me out." The figure waved her hand at the drone.

"Oh please. I've seen you. You always want to try and talk to that orb of hers." Buggy flew towards the figure and got right in its face, its eye narrowed.

"Well Amber, at least I don't flirt with the Vanguard to earn reputation points."

The figure, now known as Amber, placed a hand on her chest and gasped, taking a step back as if she (Shepard was guessing it was a she based on her voice and the conversation at hand) had been offended.

"Well. See if I ever spend my glimmer on your calibration sessions again."

The drone Buggy lept backwards, eye wide and plates spinning, as if offended. Why were these two fighting? This was just too much for Shepard's hurting and confused head.

The drone moved closer again, eye narrowed. "How dare yo…"

She couldn't take it anymore. "Excuse me."

The drone and figure turned and faced her, their close proximity making the scene slightly humorous.

"Yeah, sorry to interrupt but, I have a few questions here." She began pointing from the drone to the figure. "Who are you, what is that, were the hell am I, what the hell happened and can someone place tell me what the hell is going on." She placed a hand on her head, steading herself, sudden nausea and weakness washing over her. She sat down, groaning.

Ambers kneeled down next to her, placing hand on her shoulder. "Whoa, easy there. Guess you're more injured then I thought." She glanced at the drone.

"Buggy. Keep watch. I need to explain some things to her."

The drone nodded, then flew out of the room. Shepard placed a hand on Amber's, removing it from her shoulder.

"I'm alright. I just want some answers." She glanced at Amber, who nodded before sitting down.

"Well. For starters, my name is Amber Frostwing. I am a human hunter, and a member of Saber Squad. That little robot back there." She gestured to where the drone had flown off too. "That's Buggy. My ghost. She can be annoying at times, but she helps tremendously, so I can't complain. You are currently on earth, Old Russia to be precise, in a place called the Casadrome, a grave yard of space ports and highways buried in rust and snow. As for what happened." She awkwardly shrugged. "I'm not the best person to ask that." She then chuckled. "And what was going on? Buggy and I were having a spat, quite normal for us actually. I apologize that you had to hear all that."

Shepard blinked, taking in all the information, none of which made complete sense. She raked her brain, trying again to remember what happened to her and how she could have wound up here. But, once again, she failed to remember. She glanced at her hands, and a thought came to her.

She glanced back up at Amber. "What year is it?"

The… hunter, as she had called herself, seemed caught off guard by the question. She remained still for several second, before she shrugged.

"That is also an excellent question. Once again, I am not the one to ask such a thing as that. That's more of a warlock question. They're the ones that spend hours with their noses buried in dusty books." She seemed to have some resentment in her tone.

Shepard rose a brow. However, before she could ask, a sonic boom erupted through the air, shaking the building they were in. A whirling sound began as soon as the drone, or ghost, came back in, causing Amber to jump to her feet.

"Fallen Skiff inbound."

Amber nodded, pulling out her rifle as the ghost vanished in a flash of light.

Confused, Shepard stood up, glancing at Amber. "What's happening?"

Amber glanced at her. "Fallen. Ill tempered, scavenging aliens that would like nothing more than to see every human dead."

Shepard nodded. So, there was an enemy here.

Amber turned to the doorway. "Stay here. I'll return once I've dealt with them."

Shepard clenched her fist, and began pushing the pain from her mind. She was Commander Shepard, she wasn't going to simple sit and wait. If there was a fight, she was going to help.

"I want to help. I've had experience fighting before."

Amber glanced back at her, and Shepard gave her a hard stare. She wouldn't take no as an answer.

"You sure? You seem injured to me."

Shepard nodded. "I've fought through worse. Show me who to fight, and I'll help." Hopefully this human wasn't lying about the Fallen being the enemy, she wasn't keen on killing innocents.

Amber shrugged before extending a hand, a second rifle appearing in it. "I assume you know how to shoot then, right?"

Shepard took the rifle in her hands, then aimed it. Felt and weighed like she'd expected. She lowered it, glancing at Amber. "Of course."

Chuckling, Amber held out a small black box to Shepard. "Well then, I guess you know all about tapping this to get more ammo then." She then tossed it, forcing Shepard to catch it.

She looked at the small box, confused on how something so small could hold ammo. "Wait what do you mean I tap this to get ammo?" However, when she looked back up, Amber had ran out of the building, forcing Shepard to painfully try and catch up, her question unanswered. Clipping the box to her belt, Shepard ran outside, and looked around. Amber was crouched behind a rock, watching as several aliens Shepard had never seen before were moving amongst the rocks and wreckage below, all armed to the teeth and quite savage looking. They even had small dog like creatures with them, which snarled and clawed at the ground, rummaging through the wreckage as if they were searching for something.

Quickly crouching down next to Amber to avoid being seen, Shepard moved in close so she could whisper. "Are those the Fallen?"

Amber glanced at her before nodding. "Yeah. The small ones with two arms are called dregs. Nasty boogers who like to hide behind rocks, blasting at you with poor aim till they can get close enough to slit your throat. More annoying than anything else, but still be careful." She pointed to the dregs. There were about 5 of them, scrambling over the debris, hissing and shoving each other as they dug into the cars, yanking out pieces of machinery.

"The bigger ones with four arms are Vandals. They're really annoying. They either stay at range, shooting you with tracking shots, stay at really far range, sniping you with their wire rifles, or they sprint at you while invisible, ready to cut your head off with their twin swords. Keep them visible at all times, and they won't be too terrible to deal with." Shepard glanced over the rock, spotting about three Vandals, one with an assault rifle like weapon in its hands and two that seemed to be holding snipers of some kind. They seemed to be acting as guards, heads scanning the area for threats.

"The even bigger one is a Captain, and they're usually the leader. They either carry a shrapnel launcher or twin swords, both relatively short range, but don't underestimate them. They have shields and can teleport to avoid damage. I recommend you leave him to me." She pointed to the largest of the aliens, who stood near the rear, his large helmet and cape definitely giving him a commanding arura. He held a gun that looked like some sort of shotgun, but Shepard could make out twin swords fastened to his belt.

"Finally, the little dog things are Shivs, nasty blood hound like beasts with sharp eyes, fangs and claws. They hunt you down wherever you're hiding and then ambush you. Not too terrible to kill though, just avoid their quills and fangs and you'll be fine." She gestured to the 3 dog like aliens. They each had six eyes, three on each side of their fanged jaws, and their clawed limbs rummaged through the debris. Each one had a leash attached to its neck, which were held by the dregs, keeping them from running to far from their masters.

Suddenly, one of Shivs froze, and began sniffing the air. It turned, its six eyes locking on Shepard and Amber, who were both peaking over the edge. It then let out a baying snarl, signaling the Fallen. Amber grabbed Shepard's shoulder, pulling her back behind the rock just as a wire rifle shot zipped by right were her head used to be.

Locking eyes with Shepard, she challenged her. "Try to keep up, and please don't die." Amber then dove to the side behind another rock before rising to a knee, gun extended. Shepard made face of mock offense before chuckling and rising up as well, gun raised. At the same time, both fired.

Shepard watched with surprise and interest as Amber's round slammed into a Dreg's head, causing it to implode into a geyser of some white gaseous substance that erupted from its torso. She then lined up her own shot and fired. However, the gun's kick was unexpectedly hard on her, resulting in her shot striking the shoulder of a Dreg instead of its head. It screeched in pain, stumbling back from the impact before it dove behind cover, the other Fallen doing the same. The only one who didn't move was the Captain, who rose a fist into the air, snarling in defiance before firing off his weapon. Shepard ducked as motel shards of metal whizzed by her head, surprising her. "Thought that thing was a short-range shotgun. Guess I was wrong"

Sitting back up, she opened fired again upon the Fallen again, firing at a slower rate so she wouldn't destroy her shoulder. Her shots peppered any dreg or Vandal that stayed out of cover for too long. However, she had to take cover as she felt a bolt strike her abdomen. Despite the armor, the shot still burned some, her lack of shields becoming prevalent. She steadied her breathing, focusing. "Come on Shepard. Just like popping Geth back home." She stood back up, aimed, then fired, taking the head off a Dreg, the gas erupting upwards. She smirked, then fired at a Vandal, resulting in it stumbling as she struck its shoulder. She then fired again, the bullet burying itself into the alien's neck. It dropped its rifle, gripping its throat with its two upper hands as the white gas like fluid ran out from between its fingers. With a gurgling cry, it dropped to its knees, then on its back, dead. Shepard turned again and fired, causing two dregs to dive for cover and the Captains shields to break. However, as she fired the killing shot, he vanished in a flash of light, small trails showing that he teleported behind a rock before the shot connected. Surprised, Shepard paused for only a second before she turned and fired at a Vandal that was trying to get into a sniping position. However, when she pulled the trigger, she only heard a click.

She glanced down at her gun, then swore silently when she saw her ammo counter on 0. She glanced back up, her eyes widening when she saw the Vandal's gun, pointed straight at her, beginning to glow blue rapidly. She ducked just in time to dodge a blue bolt which flew right through the point her head was moments before. She glanced down at the box on her hip. How in the world could ammo be in that? With a shrug, she tapped the side of the box. Instantly, a fresh ammo clip materialized, and since she wasn't ready for it, it clattered to the ground unceremoniously. Shepard crouched down quickly, scrambling to grab the clip as quickly as she could. Finally, she got it. She yanked out the old clip, slapped in the new one, then pulled back on the pin. However, before she could aim again, she was knocked to the ground by something smashing into her back. She fell over, pain from her sore muscles shoot up her back.

She grunted, and rolled over just in time for her arm to block the claws of a Shiv which had lept onto her, now straddling her chest. It snarled at her, its eyes gleaming as it lunged forward. Shepard shot up an arm, gagging the beast with the armored surface. It snarled again, gnawing on the metal as salvia poured from its mouth. She lifted her second hand to support the first, keeping the creatures mouth and claws away from her unarmored head. However, she could feel the metal on her arm bending, pinching her flesh as the beast gnawed on her.

"I really wish I had my omni-tool now", she said through gritted teeth. She finally got a foot under its belly and kicked off, sending the Shiv flying some distance before it smashed into a rock with a thud. She stood up as quickly as she could, but had only just risen when the Shiv lept at her again. This time she caught it, one hand grabbing a flailing limb while the other grabbed its throat, keeping it back. She took a step back, her muscles screaming as she struggled to stay standing. Its arm slipped from her grip, and a claw slashed her cheek, but she ignored it, yelling at it as she reached behind it and snapped off one of its sharp quills. It howled in pain before she drove the quill into its mouth, shutting up its cry as it was replaced by a pained gurgle. Slowly, it stopped flailing and went limp, the gas like fluid running over Shepard's hand as she threw the body away.

She dropped back to the ground, out of breath and coughing. Punching the ground, she scolded herself.

"Come on! Your better than this! Your Commander Shepard! Get up and fight!" She grabbed her rifle, which lay a few feet from her, and stood back up. She was greeted with a Dreg, squatting on the rock in front of her, knife in hand as it snarled at her. This time, she shot at it before it could leap on her. However, the shot only grazed its arm as it lept forward, knocking her back to the ground. Luckily, Shepard held onto her rifle, and used it to block the dregs dagger as it sat on top of her, trying to run her through. Drawing forth energy she hadn't had since she'd arrived, she let out a roar, then shoved her rifle back, bashing the Dreg in the face with it, knocking it off of her. It scrambled back, screeching in pain before it shook its head and lept at her again, snarling. Shepard sat up, raised her rifle, and with a roar of fury, fired.

* * *

Amber pulled her knife out of the Captain's neck, resulting in him going ridged, his shrapnel launched falling from his hands before he dropped to the ground, dead. She scanned her work. Not too shabby. Then, she remembered her companion.

"Oh crap!"

She turned and ran back up to the rock where she had left her, praying to the traveler that she was alright. She had just started to like that spunky woman. She rounded the rock just in time to see her companion lying on the ground, breathing heavy as she shoved the headless body of a Dreg off of herself, ether covering her face and chest. She glanced up at Amber, and their eyes met. For a moment, neither moved. Then, simultaneously, they both burst into laughter.

The laughed for a good ten seconds. Why? Traveler knows why, but they did laugh, and they laughed good. Finally, after she had slowed down, she stepped towards the still chuckling redhead, extending a hand.

"I'm glad to see that you survived."

The woman smirked, accepting her hand.

"Never seen a civi fight quite like that before."

The woman laughed again. "I told, I'm no civilian. I've been a soldier my entire legal life."

Amber placed a hand on her hip. "Is that so. Well I'll be sure to remember it."

She turned, glancing back over her shoulder. "By the way, you have a little bit of ether on you."

The woman starred back with a confused face before raising a hand and touching the fluid the covered her face. She examined her hand, then grimaced slightly before wiping the rest of it off. She clearly hadn't dealt with ether before, which was slimier than blood.

Hearing footsteps, Amber glanced back around her shoulder to see the woman standing behind her, scout rifle in hand. "So, what now?"

Amber turned, thinking for a minute before she answered. "Well, I guess since you're a more fragile cargo then what I'm used to guarding." The woman gave her an evil glare for one. "I guess I'll take you back to the City, see what the Vanguard have to say about you."

The woman rose a brow. "What's the Vanguard?"

"My superiors. They handle all guardian affairs. I'm sure they'll think of something to do with you in no time. With luck, you might even get to stick with me."

Despite her cheery tone, the woman rolled her eyes at the comment. "Joy."

Amber huffed. "Well, will you at least tell me your name?"

The woman glanced at her before straightening into a military like stance, extending a hand for a shake.

"Commander Jane Shepard. But most people just call me Shepard."

Amber smirked, then shook her hand.

"Well Shepard, it is an honor to meet you." She released her hand, then turned, opening a hand so Buggy could appear above it. She glanced back at Shepard.

"Ever transmatted before?" Shepard gave her a blank stare, answering the question. Amber smirked again.

"Well then you're in for a surprise." The redhead rose a brow before looking up, Amber's Phaeton Class v2 yellow and red ship appeared overhead. As the tingling of the transmate began, Amber glanced back, catching the look of shock and confusion on Shepard's face as she vanished in a flash of light. Seconds later, they were both on board, Amber in the pilot's seat, and Shepard in the passenger seat behind her. Grabbing the control sticks, Amber pushed them forward with a smirk.

"Off to the City."

* * *

The Fallen Captain walked into the small room, passing the two Thugs who guarded the entrance. Thugs were ex Captains, who had shamed themselves and were punished in a similar manner to Dregs. However, they were treated better then Dregs, but only slightly. They still got the same amount of ether as a Captain, resulting in them having a towering physic. However, unlike Captains, they were denied shielding tech, along with the honor have having their lower arms. They wore basically the same armor as a Dreg, but with a few differences. They had shoulder pads that resembled a Captain's, and their helmets looked like that of a Captain's, save the two large fins on the side. They also had a piece of cloth running down their right shoulder, acting as a sort of, half cape. Two shock swords were fastened to their belts, and a shrapnel launcher was slung over their backs. Their arms were crossed, and they refused to look the Captain in the eyes, most likely out of shame. The Captain could care less honestly. His focus was what was in the room.

The room was full of boxes and crates, a storage room, but this didn't concern the Captain. He was concerned with what was happening on and around the table in the middle of the room. His eyes fell on the large Fallen that stood by the table, Archon Priest Horvack from the House of Dust, an exchange the Devils had made in order to strengthen the relationships of their two houses. Like all Archons, he stood at an impressive 10 feet tall. However, Horvack looked smaller due to his hunched posture and thin frame. Large spikes stuck out of his back, skulls, both human and Eliksni, were fastened to the spikes like trophies. A large cloak was draped over him, and a hood was pulled over his armored head, leaving only the glowing green eye like lights found on the Archon's helmet visible. The horns on the helmet had been removed, making his head far smaller, and allowing it to fit under the hood. He leaned on a large metal staff, which had more skulls and bones fastened to it. He was a fearsome sight, despite his sickly and thin appearance. It unnerved the Captain, along with most of the Devils. Horvack glanced at the Captain, the guardian helmets he had on his belt rattling whenever he moved. He huffed before turning his eyes back to the table, where the true item of interest lay.

On the table was a figure. Exactly what, the Devils didn't know. It resembled a human female, except that it had blue flesh, and instead of fur, it had short, stiff, backwards facing tentacles on its head. Its body was covered in form fitting white and blue body armor, leaving only its face exposed. They had found it in the waste, unconscious and unarmed. Shortly after that, they brought it here, and attempted to communicate with their Kell so they could know what to do. That had been 4 hours ago, and still no reply. Despite the witch's attempts, Horvack had been unable to identify the creature, or successfully get any information from it. He couldn't even wake it up for Prime's sake.

"This is most unsettling." The Archon spoke in an echoing, deep voice that caused the Captain's skin to crawl. "What is? Your presence?" The Captain held his tongue though, and gave a more, dignified response.

"What is? That we can't contact the Kell, or that your magic isn't working." Horvack turned to glare at him, causing him to shudder uncontrollably. Something was most definitely wrong with this Eliksni.

"That this creature even appeared, especially now."

The Captain snarled. "Spare me your religious jargon witch. I'm a Captain, not some drake or pup that shudders at your words. Give me some answers now."

Horvack took a step toward him, causing him to instinctively reach for his shock swords. The Archon tilted his head, scanning him.

"Bold words for one who could so easily lose his rank. Or his life."

The Captain nearly hissed at him, but restrained himself, instead resorting to grinding his teeth. The witch was right. In this moment, Horvack was the superior, not himself.

"Respectfully then, do you have an explanation or not?"

The witch leaned over the female's body, extending a thing hand, and running a clawed finger down her chest.

"This female was brought here for a purpose. Chosen. But for what…" He turned and faced the Captain.

"Has yet to be seen."

* * *

 **Authors notes: The Thug and Shiv belong to my fellow Destiny writer, Brawl499, who so graciously allowed me to use original content from his story. Also, for some other terms.**

 **Eliksni is the name that Fallen call themselves.**

 **Drakes and Pups are Fallen terms for birthing females and children, respectively.**

 **The House of Dust is a new Fallen house. Don't worry, we will see more of them and Archon Priest Horvack in future.**

 **Anyway, please review and tell me what you think. What do you think will become of Garrus and Liara? Also, try to guess who I based Horvack on. Please review. I want your opinions. ZOMAN out!**


	3. New Places and New Faces

"You're sure that's what he said?" Ikora asked as she rose a brow, quite intrigued with the information that titan Tri Saberlinx had brought back from Venus.

Tri nodded. "Yes. He said that the manner of our destruction had been chosen, and that nothing would survive its coming. Not even the other races of darkness would survive."

"And where exactly did he pick up this information." Zavala asked, sounding as if he doubted the information. Indeed, if it hadn't been for Tri's high standing in his eyes, Zavala wouldn't even be considering these threats from a dying mad man, and a Fallen as well.

Tri sighed, clearly not convinced of the evidence himself. "He says that he taped into the mind of the Vex, and discovered what they fear, that all their work is to prevent this…" He spun his hand, trying to come up with a word. "This coming destroyer."

Tri's ghost, Sparks, then appeared. "While the words of a dying Archon may not be completely trustworthy, when I scanned his data files and compared them with Vex transmissions, I did see some similarities. While I can't confirm all of what was said, I can say that there is something else out there that the Vex fear, something outside of the Darkness." Tri glanced at Sparks, silently thanking him for assisting.

Cayde chuckled at this. "Well. The mad alien actually was onto something. How about that."

Zavala and Ikora didn't share Cayde's humor however. Both were deep in thought, Zavala stroking his chin as he thought while Ikora stared at the table, hands clasped behind her back.

"Does anyone else know about this information titan?" Zavala glanced up at Tri, who shook his head.

"No sir. Only myself and my fireteam, but they know less than I do."

Zavala nodded. "Good. Keep it that way."

"We will continue to look into this. We will contact you if we hear anything", Ikora added. Being in charge of the Cities Hidden, a secret group of guardians charged with gathering information on their enemies, she would be the one to find out more. Tri nodded, and saluted the Vanguard before turning and walking out.

"This is most unsettling", Ikora said, rubbing her temple.

Cayde rose a brow at this. "So, you actually believe that this is a serious threat?"

Ikora glared at him. "This could be the greatest threat to the City, and you're not taking it seriously?" Cayde began to retaliate, but was cut off by Zavala.

"Until we know for sure, it's best if we just keep this quiet. No need to start a panic." Huffing, Ikora crossed her arms, but said nothing. Cayde however began stroking his chin, looking down at the table as he thought. "What if this was serious? And what if it had something to do with the transmissions he was going to share right before Tri arrived. Cayde cleared his throat, and gained the attention of both Zavala and Ikora.

"Actually, I might need to take this seriously. I've just received some stolen Fallen transmissions that might be related to the crazy Fallen's story."

* * *

Shepard sat on a table within the medical wing of the tower. To examine her closely, the robotic nurse, or more specifically, the frame, as Amber had called it, had asked her to remove her armor. So, here she sat, wearing only a sports bra and underwear, but she didn't care. Years of military experience had made sure she wouldn't be embarrassed by being seen with little or no clothing. Currently her mind was going over everything she had learned since she had arrived.

 _Shepard held in a groan as she was once again teleported. She was never a fan of teleporting, and this kind felt especially weird. Plus, it didn't help that her muscles felt like molten lead had been injected into them. When it finished, she had to shield her eyes for a second, the brightness being too much. Finally, her eyes cleared, then widened at what she saw._

" _Welcome to the Last City." Amber said, glancing at her. They were on top of a tower, incredibly high, and stretched out below was a vast and bustling city. However, the most shocking and eye-opening thing was the moon sized sphere which hung over the city, casting a pale shadow on the city below. It was white, mostly, but had what looked like large jagged black scars along its underside. It seemed to be a machine, and yet didn't, rather hard to describe. Then Amber spoke again._

" _And that, is the Traveler. Our savior, and our only hope." Shepard turned to glance at her, and noticed her helmet was off, allowing her to see her face and study it. Amber had a smooth face, not overly harsh or fierce. Her hair was cut short, just above the shoulders, similar to Shepard's. However, Amber's hair was dark brown, and was styled in spiked layers. Her eyes were startlingly blue, and almost seemed to glow. A pale white tattoo was just visible on her face. A vertical line underneath her right eye, and a horizontal line beneath the left, almost underlining it. She smiled at Shepard, showing a mischievous smirk._

" _So, what do you think?" Shepard glanced back at the Traveler. "It's quite astonishing." She then frowned._

" _So, I'm guessing you call it the Last City because it's just that?" She glanced back at Amber, who shrugged._

" _Well, technically, this is the last major human city, but there are still a few scattered villages out there, but they're few and far between." Shepard nodded, and turned back to the Traveler. Despite its damaged look, Shepard could help but look at it with awe. It was truly awesome and beautiful. She then felt a hand on her shoulder. Glancing back, she saw Amber smirking at her again._

" _Come on. I'll take you to the medical wing to get you checked up, then I'll introduce you to everyone."_

 _Shepard smiled softly, hoping that her sore muscles would be dealt with. "I'd like that."_

Her mind still lingered on the Traveler. What exactly was it. How did it get here? Why was it damaged? Why had Amber called it their savior and last hope? She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the metallic feet of the nurse frame returning, its thin, white and red metal build definitely making it live up to its name. It spoke in its robotic tone, quite a far cry from the voices of machines back home, such as EDI.

"Please come with me." Shepard nodded, and hopped off the bed, shivering slightly when her bare feet touched the cold floor. She glanced around the medical wing as she followed the frame. It was a simple white room, with medical beds, tables and equipment lining the walls and filling the room. Several machines that Shepard couldn't identify also filled the room. No one else was here, something which she found a little odd. Most medical wings had at least a few patients in them if not several. But, it just might be because she was in a testing room, and not an actual operation room.

"Please stand here." The frame stopped by a large circular device on the ceiling, which had several arms dangling down below it. It gestured to the space between the arms. Shepard nodded, then stepped inside of the arms.

"This machine will repair your damaged muscles," the frame said flatly. Shepard rose a brow, and looked up as the arms lowered. Now she could see that each one had a needle on the end. Before she could think farther on this, the arms stuck their needles into Shepard. One in each arm, one in each leg, one in her spine, one in her neck, and another right above her left hip. Surprisingly, there was no pain, just a cold prick as the needles slid into her skin. Moments later, she felt warmth spread over her as her sore muscles loosened instantly, and the slight tremble in her legs leaving. After a few moments, she was warm all over, and the arms retracted from her. She smirked, raising an arm and forming a fist before stretching her fingers. The pain was gone. She glanced at the frame before dipping her head in thanks. The frame returned the gesture.

"You will find a fresh pair of clothes lying on the table behind you. Your armor is also there, but I recommend picking up some new armor before you head back out Guardian." Shepard almost said something about not being a guardian, but held her tongue. It would be easier to not try and explain her predicament to the machine. Instead, she simple nodded and turned to the table behind her as the frame left the room. As the nurse had said, a pile of clothes was placed on the table behind her, along with a pair of black boots and her scuffed up armor. She lifted up the first article of clothing. A black tee shirt, nothing special. She pulled it on and was surprised that it fit her perfectly. They must have gotten her sizes from when they took all the measurements of her during their examination. A few minutes later, she exited the medical wing. Black shirt, black pants, and black boots, her armor held under an arm. She glanced around and spotted the only non-robot she had seen since she'd arrived.

Amber was leaning against a nearby wall, her knife in hand as she carved on a small metal cube. She was still wearing her armor, but she looked more casual due to the changes she'd made. She had removed her cloak and upper armor, revealing a white tank top she must have been wearing underneath it. The upper armor, or at least the cloth parts, had the sleeves tied around her waist so they wouldn't dangle. Her legs were still covered in her green armor, leaving her with a half casual, and half armored look. The knife she was using came from her thigh, where a sheathe was still attached and accessible. With her skin exposed, Shepard could make out several faint scars that crisscrossed her athletic build. She could also see a tattoo on her left arm. It resembled a skull, but had three eyes in the center of the face instead of two. The skull's mouth was open, as if it was screaming, and a knife was stuck through its temple, jabbing out the other side. Cracks on the skull around the blade gave the appearance that the skull had been stabbed. She also had a golden necklace on, with a pendant shaped like the sun dangling from it. She glanced up and smirked at Shepard, her blue eyes bright.

"All fixed up I hope?"

Shepard nodded at her. "Yep. They fixed up my muscles. I'm fully combat ready. The nurse even called me a guardian, though that's not accurate. I'm not a guardian. Not even sure what a guardian is exactly." Amber chuckled, sheathing her knife and lifting up the cube, which disappeared in a flash of light.

Standing up straight, she shrugged. "Well, we can deal with that later. Come on, I want to introduce you to my squad first." She turned and began jogging down the hall. Shepard quickly followed, thankful that she could do so without pain again. She followed Amber up a flight of stairs, then into a hallway which resembled an apartment or hotel. She stopped by one of the doors, which was marked with a strange symbol Shepard didn't recognize, three triangles placed side by side, with their lines overlapping. Along with this, below the symbol was the number C18, proving that this must be like some sort of apartment. Amber opened the door, and gestured Shepard inside. With a raised brow, she stepped in.

The room was full of … artifacts? Strange things, like cubes, skulls, pieces of metal, things like pottery, all of it was either placed on pedestals, mounted on the walls, behind glass, or with some of the items, floating in the air. Several objects glowed, and others still pulsed or shimmered with energy. A large lounging chair was placed by the window, an end table next to it with a data pad on it. A couch was in the middle, with a coffee table in front. A large table was placed by a wall and was covered with books. Actual books. Shepard hadn't seen one of those in ages. She glanced around the room, surprised by all of it, however, it was the books that intrigued her the most. She walked over to the table, and looked at the pages of a large open books. English, written English. However, whatever it was about, she couldn't place it.

Amber walked up beside her, chuckling. "Be sure not to touch anything. Crystal doesn't like her things being touched." Shepard turned to her.

"Crystal? Is that a squad mate of yours?" Amber nodded. Casting another glance around the room, Shepard commented. "A bit of a collector I see."

Amber nodded again. "Yeah. One among a long list of strange things she does." She turned to another door, and went to open it before stopping and turning back to Shepard. "So, just as a warning. Try not to do anything normal, she'll think you're weird. Also, try to use big words. She'll gripe if you act simple." Shepard rose a brow, confused by the odd requests. Clearly Amber was just insulting Crystal, for whatever reason. A smirk tugged at Amber's lips, proving Shepard's point.

Making a half nodded, she turned to the walk through the door next to Amber, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Riiiight. I'll be sure to do that." She turned and faced the next room, and thought that maybe Amber was right about her comments.

If the last room was strange, then this one was downright bizarre. The room was arranged like a bedroom, study room, and a laboratory had a strange love child. The room was filled with even more shelves and items along the walls. More books as well, however these were stranger, and had a withered look to them. Some even had glowing covers. Computer like machines sat on a table by the wall, along with more books. In the far corner was a wide, rounded bed covered in elaborate sheets. Something resembling an ancient Indian dream catcher hung on the wall behind the bed. Feathers rimmed it and a bird skull was in its center. In fact, Shepard could see several bird things in the room. Bird skulls and feathers were everywhere, not in a creepy way, but still enough to be noticeable. In the center of the room was a large table that had what looked like a robot lying on it. The robot was made from brass colored metal. It had a large fan shaped head with a single eye placed inside a pointed narrow face. No other facial features. A container full of shimmering white fluid sat next to its torso, as if it went with the machine. It also appeared to have what looked to be bullet holes in its chest. On the far wall was a large L shaped desk, with the large side against the wall and the short end sticking out from the wall. This only left a small opening to get behind the desk. The wall above the desk was covered in dozens of drawings that Shepard couldn't identify. Everything from strange creatures and humanoids to machines and vehicles. A couple others were objects that she couldn't place. It was then that Shepard noticed someone was in the room.

Behind the desk sat a female, though she clearly wasn't human, at least not a normal one. For starters, her skin was colored an off-purple shade, and seemed to shimmer with incredibly faint tendrils of light that moved gently across her skins by her hairline. Her hair was pale blue, and also seemed to shine slightly. On her forehead was a glowing orange tattoo that ran down her nose line. A second line ran across from eyebrow to eyebrow, forming a rough cross shape. A small triangle topped the line, completing the tattoo. Her eyes however where the most noticeable. They were yellow, and shown like small lights, causing her pupils to stand out from her eyes. The woman was dressed in what seemed to be a long, purple and white cloak, and a ring of teal feathers lined her collar. A bird skull necklace, decorated with white and yellow, feathers hung from her neck. Her hands had gloves on them that left her fingers exposed, showing that her hands were colored the same as her face. A ring of more teal feathers went around her arms just above the elbow. On her left arm was a band that shown with blue, holographic energy. A blue energy pyramid stuck out from the band, making it quite noticeable. What the heck was the band for? She looked like something of a mad scientist mixed with a cultist. Glancing up from a small book she was writing in, she suddenly gave a short gasp of surprise, her eyes widening upon seeing that people where in here with her. She sat up, scanning Shepard with her glowing eyes before smiling softly and speaking in a calm and soothing voice.

"Well hello." She chuckled. "I apologize, I didn't realize that you were here." She then turned and noticed Amber.

"Amber. What do you need? And who is this?" She gestured to Shepard. Amber slid up beside Shepard.

"This," she placed a hand on Shepard's shoulder, "is Jane Shepard. Found her in the wastes outside the Cosmodrome. Apparently, she's new around her and knows nothing about what's going on. I think she might have amnesia." The woman, who she assumed was Crystal, rose a brow, and glanced back at Shepard.

"Really? Well, she must have tons of questions then." She stood, and stepped around her desk. Her cloak was long, going past her knees, and ended in points that went along its edge. He boots matched the outfit, purple and white with a ring of teal feathers on her ankles. She extended her hand towards Shepard, and smiled.

"My names Crystal, and I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you may have."

* * *

"So, Awoken are basically humans who were changed by spending too much time in deep space?" Crystal, chuckled, nodding.

"Well, that's close enough." Crystal was quite intrigued by this human, this Jane Shepard. Like most humans, she was inquisitive, strong willed and not afraid to speak her mind. However, at the same time, she was soft spoken, and humble enough to accept advice. This trait alone made her better than many, including the other human in here. But, that's an unfair judgment. Amber may be a pain, but she meant well, and she was a skilled fighter, so she couldn't complain. Honestly, despite their differences, Crystal viewed Amber as a sister. An annoying one, but a sister none the less. Hopefully, Shepard here will be easier to work with, if she sticks around to work with them.

They were sitting in Crystal's living room, her in her lounge chair, and Shepard and Amber sitting on the couch. While they could have stayed in her study, Crystal felt that a more comfortable atmosphere would be better for a questioning session.

Shepard nodded, then asked another question. "So, what exactly are Guardians? Amber says bother you and herself are ones, and those Frames keep calling me one, but I still don't know what they are."

Crystal thought for a moment before speaking. "Guardians are champions of the Traveler. We wield the Light that it produces as a weapon, and use it against the forces of Darkness. We are protectors of the City and its interests. That's a rough summery." She watched as Shepard mulled these things over in her mind. It truly was strange, to encounter an adult that knew nothing about the City and its interests. While it wasn't the first time, in the past it was because someone had been living in the wilds, completely cut off, and thus had to be taught even basic things. Shepard however knew basic human functions, but seemed to almost be disconnected from what was happening. Not that she lived in a different world, but that she used to, and only just now entered the real world. Very strange indeed.

Shepard glanced back up again, speaking softly. "Is this Darkness the thing that killed everyone?"

Crystal nodded. "Yes. Several hundreds of years ago, humanity was at its Golden Age. The Traveler brought prosperity and longevity. Our technology soared, and we grew. However, this didn't last. The Traveler's enemy, the Darkness, arrived with its armies and destroyed the Golden Age in an event known as the Collapse. However, the Darkness was pushed back, but not without severely damaging the Traveler. On the verge of death, the Traveler went into hibernation, to preserve itself. With its last breath, it gifted us the ghosts to find warriors to wield the Travelers light as a weapon against the armies of Darkness."

Shepard nodded, glancing down again. "I want to help." She looked back up. "I want to fight."

Crystal rose a brow and glanced at Amber, who simply shrugged. She thought a moment, before sighing.

"I'm not sure on the specifics behind someone becoming a Guardian outside of a Ghost choosing you, but I'm sure we could get the Vanguards approval."

Shepard's mind raced with all the information that had been dropped on her. Humanities near extinction, the threat of this Darkness, and the possibility of getting to fight once again, it was all somewhat surreal. However, she couldn't hide a smile when Crystal said that they'd try to see if she could become a guardian.

Crystal rose a hand to calm her upon seeing her smirk. "Don't get your hopes up. I said we'd ask. Honestly, I'm not sure at all if they can accept you."

Amber scoffed. "Why wouldn't they. She's willing, and a pretty good fighter. Took down a shiv and a Dreg in close quarters all on her own. Not terrible for a rookie."

Crystal nodded in agreement. "True. But still, we need to ask them."

"Tri should do it."

Crystal nodded. "He should probably meet her first. Get his opinion."

Shepard frowned. "Whose Tri, and why should he ask?

However, before Crystal could answer her, the door opened, causing all three women to turn and face the door and Shepard's eyes to widen at what came in.

A robot was walking into the room, but not one of those frames Shepard had seen earlier. Unlike the frames, this robot had a much fuller, human like design to it, though she couldn't tell if that was from its body, or the bulky armor it wore. The armor was thick and angular, with a broad chest pieces and thick shoulder pads. It was a metallic navy blue in color, with golden accents that stood out from the blue metal. Glowing yellow lights shone out from under several pieces of the armor, giving it a powered and advanced look. A short piece of cloth hung from its belt, dangling down from its right side. It was black with a strange blue emblem on it. A sheet of chain mail hung down from under the cloth, extending farther then the cloth and ending in several long strips of chain. A large knife was attached above the cloth. She could see a rifle of some kind attached to its back, an assault rifle from the looks of it. However, its head stood out the most. Unlike the frames, which had long and narrow, box like heads that didn't look human at all, this one's head was shaped exactly like a human's head. The head was green, with orange stripes running from the top of the head down to the glowing green eyes. A horn like protrusion jutted out from its forehead, and seemed to be collapsible. The mouth however was bizarre. Instead of lips, two plates extended from the top and bottom, meeting at the middle. Two strips of metal ran down from the angular cheeks and converged at the large chin. The design meant that from the side, she could see clear through the mouth to the other side.

The machine stopped upon entering the room, its eyes stopping on Shepard for a second before turning and glancing between Amber and Crystal. A small piece of metal above its right eye rose, most likely a simulated eyebrow, as it turned back to Shepard. It then spoke, its voice sounding almost human except for a metallic flange that followed its sentences. Masculine sounding as well, meaning it, or he, was probably a male, at least personality wise. Shepard also noticed that lights in his mouth glowed orange when he spoke.

"Amber, please tell me you're not trying to convince Crystal to experiment on another one."

Shepard blinked twice, caught off guard by the question. She turned and noticed Amber's face turning red and Crystal's face turning purple from embarrassment. Amber quickly jumped to her feet, shaking her head, and arms outstretched as she retaliating to the machines question.

"NO! NO! Traveler no! Nothing like that!" She glanced at Crystal, whose face was purple and contorted with embarrassment as she glanced back at Amber. Taking a breath, Amber calmed down before speaking again.

"No. This is a friend. Not…never mind. Anyway, we were just talking with her about becoming a guardian."

The robot turned glanced over Shepard, brow still raised, before it lowered, and he walked towards her.

"Well then, in that case, I suppose I should introduce myself." He walked forward, extending a hand.

"Tri Saberlinx. I'm the leader of this fireteam." Shepard stood, and shook his hand.

"Jane Shepard. I didn't realize that robots could be guardians."

Tri blinked at her, his eyes switching on and off to simulate the blink. He seemed put off by the comment. Shepard frowned, releasing her hand from the shake.

"Oh. Ahhh, I'm sorry if I've offended you." This introduction was not going well.

"She has amnesia Tri. I don't think she remembers Exos." Crystal said from behind, bailing her out. Shepard glanced back at Crystal. She had to tell them that she didn't have amnesia, just wasn't from around here. But how could she say that when she herself didn't even know what happened. It was all too much. Tri glanced at Crystal, then back at Shepard, nodding.

"Ok, that makes sense." He chuckled. "I apologize for that response, I've just never had someone call me a robot before." Shepard glanced him over.

"What are you then, if you don't mind me asking?" Tri chuckled, shaking his head.

"I don't mind at all. As Crystal said, I am an Exo. We are, you could say, combat androids, built during the Golden Age. For what reason and how, no one is certain. All Exos, including myself, have had our minds wiped several times, resulting in us having no memory of the Golden age, or even of why we were built. Most of us, at least the ones that are functioning, serve as guardians, but not all." Shepard nodded at him, fascinated by all of this. She glanced back up when Tri spoke again.

"Enough about me, I want to hear about you."

* * *

Liara shifted in her sleep, then let out a weak groan. What was happening? Where was she? She tried to move, but her muscles ached and wouldn't respond. Even her breathing was labored. She coughed, air finally filling her lungs again. Her eyes cracked open, and she saw light above her. She was inside somewhere, an old room from the looks of it. She closed her eyes again, trying to clear her foggy head. What had happened? She couldn't remember a thing. This wasn't like her. Something must be amiss. She focused on her muscles, trying to get a response Slowly, feeling returned. Strange. Her muscles were sore, as if she had been a fight and had lost horribly. That wasn't like her at all. She either won a fight, or didn't fight in the first place. She exhaled, then sat up, gritting her teeth through the pain. Once she had sat up, she placed a hand on her head, then opened her eyes, observing her surroundings.

A small room, full of metal crates and shelves, the shelves were stocked with strange boxes with unrecognizable labels. A storage room perhaps. It was old. Rust and cobwebs covered the walls, and she could smell mold and decay. The room was lit by only three flickering light fixtures, each one looking as if they might go out any second. She was sitting on a table, as if she was some prize to be observed. Had she been kidnapped? Unlikely. The only ones who would store a hostage in such a poorly kept room would be a Vorcha, and they'd rather eat you then take you alive. So then how had she gotten here? Her eyes fell upon a large doorway on the far side of the room. The door was closed, but she couldn't tell if it was locked. However, if it was, it looked weathered enough, so she'd have no problem breaking it open with her biotics. A gently as she could, she slid of the table.

However, upon touching the ground, pain shot up her legs, and they went out, resulting in her crumbling painfully to the ground. As she fell, one of her flailing legs kicked the table, causing it to noisily skid a few inches across the ground. She yelped in pain as her foot punished her for the kick. She clutched her leg close to her chest, her teeth gritted as she tried to ease the pain, cursing silently to herself. Her heart was raising from the pain, and her mind was still foggy with confusion. Something truly terrible must have happened. She prayed that her friends were ok. They were together on a mission, last, she could remember. Maybe they had… She suddenly froze, her heart stopping when she heard a noise.

The door opened with a creek, grinding against the floor before thudded against the wall noisily, rattling the metal. Liara held her breath, trying not to panic. Heavy footsteps came towards her, walking the distance before stopping a few feet in front of her. She heard a grunt, then some deep garbling that must be her captor's language. There was a pause, and she felt something give her shoulder a light shove. The garbling sounded again, it must be wanting her attention. Slowly, she lifted her head to view her captor.

A large, brutish alien stood over her. At first, she mistook it for a turian, but then dismissed that. This thing was far too bulky for a turian. It wore a form fitting suit that covered its entire body from head to toe. Strips of cloth were wrapped around its feet, hands, lower legs, and lower arms. Metal plates covered its knees, elbows and chest. The elbow guards had two metal blades jutting out backwards from the elbow guards, so that they lay against the arm when it was straightened. Similar blades were attached to the knee guards. A small knife was attached to the right side of the chest plate, and a sword was fastened to its belt. Large shoulder pads jutted out from its shoulders, greatly increasing its profile. Small rounded pieces of metal jutted out from below its arms, almost like caps, attaching to its chest plate. What were those doing there? Its face was covered in a wide helmet, with four glowing blue eye pieces staring out from under a heavy brow. Small tubes attached to the side of the face, running down under its right arm before attaching to a small tank Liara could just make out over his shoulder. A thin cape, which only covered its right shoulder blade, ran down its back, ending at knee level. It held a strange gun in its three fingered hands, the ends of four barrels glowing a faint orange. It glared down at her, gesturing towards her lazily with its gun as it continued to gripe at her in its language.

Whatever this thing was, it was unknown to Liara, and was most likely the thing that was holding her hostage. She glanced back down, avoiding its gaze and ignoring its words. Did she have her pistol? No. It was missing for some reason. However, this didn't mean she was defenseless. She gritted her teeth, preparing herself. Hopefully her sore muscles didn't stop her from using her biotics. Quickly, she sat up, and thrust her hand forward, throwing a biotic blast straight at the alien. The brute took a step back, flinching as if expecting an impact, but none came. Liara faltered, caught off guard by the lack of her biotics. The alien glanced at her, as if confused. She focused harder, staring at her hand for a moment before closing her eyes, and thrusting it forward again. However, once again, nothing happened. Liara, opened her eyes, and stared at her hands, confused beyond belief. What was going on? Hearing a cackling noise, she glanced up, and saw the alien stepping towards her, its shoulders shaking as it laughed at her. It then lunged forward, grabbing her wrist with its hand before twisting her wrist to the side. Liara screamed in pain, partial from the twist, and partially from her already sore body. Twisting her arm to the side before leaning forward, its face directly now directly in front of Liara's. She recoiled backwards. She could smell its foul odor, a mixture of filth, death, and a strange, reptilian smell. This perked her curiosity for a second before fear overtook her again as she saw it placed its weapon on its back, then drew the knife from the sheathe on its chest. It held the knife up to her throat, the blade suddenly glowing blue and crackling with electricity. The alien seemed to snarl at her, and Liara closed her eyes, hoping that her death would be quick.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a blade slicing through flesh, and the feeling of liquid splattering onto her face. Her eyes snapped open with alarm and surprise. The alien had gone ridged, a blade similar to the knife in its hand jutting out from its throat. A white, gassy fluid was leaking from around the blade, and small bubble were forming around the blade as the alien tried to breathe. Liara tore herself out of the alien's grasp, tumbling backwards, her mouth gaping. Scooting herself away, she stared in shock and confusion at what was before her. The alien reached for the knife, gurgling as it tried to breath as blood filled its lungs. The blade was then yanked out, resulting in alien's body going limp before toppling sideways, dead. Behind it crouched another alien, this one even more frightening then the first.

It was smaller than the first, around the same size as Liara. It was also slimmer than the other one, with a more thin and athletic build compared to the first's large and bulky build. The armor was similar, in that it was a form fitting suit covered in metal plates, however, that's where the similarities ended. The most noticeable difference was that this alien had four arms instead of two. Its armor plates were also golden instead of red. Also, while the other's armor was in good condition other than a few scuffs, this one's armor was heavily damaged by scuffs, dents, and even scorch marks. There was even a large burnt gash running diagonally across the chest piece. A long cape flowed over its shoulders. It was faded gold in color, but this was barely visible do to the black scorch marks and tears. A sniper rifle looking weapon was slung over its back, and two swords hung from its belt. A large knife sheathe was attached to its lower back, the knife itself in the alien's hand, the blade glowing blue and crackling with electricity. However, the biggest, and most unsettling appearance was the alien's head and helmet. The helmet fit snuggly on the alien's head, and had an opening on the top, and through this opening, long blue hair stuck out like a mohawk before curving back and tumbling down to the back and right of the head, barely reaching its neck. A human skull, at least the front facial bone, was attached to the helmet, acting as a mask that gave the alien an eerie appearance that unnerved Liara. Glowing green eyes with lighter green pupils glared out of the eye holes, along with another pair staring out of a pair of holes drilled into the bone on either side of the eye holes. Below the skull, large, blade like teeth jutted out. Around it, the jaw bone and even the tendons were visible, attaching the jaw to the creature's head. Despite this, the jaw looked fully functional, and even seemed capable of forming facial expressions. The alien's lower arms were one the ground, holding it up, while the upper arms were held up in a defensive pose, white blood still dripping from the knife blade. It drilled Liara with its four eyes, as if studying her.

Liara stared back at the alien with equal amounts of fear and curiosity. This was perplexing. On one hand, the alien had saved her life by killing the first, on the other hand, this one didn't seem very friendly toward her either. She snapped out of her thoughts when the alien crept forward, using its six limbs to lightly creep across the ground in a fluid motion. Like the first one, this alien also got right up in her face, allowing Liara to smell it. This one smelled different. It smelt dirty, but also burnt, like it had been standing near a fire for far too long. It also had the strange smell of dust, like when one enters an ancient desert tomb for the first time, something that Liara had done quite often. Liara scooted herself back some, and attempted to keep a neutral face, but failed. Fear was clearly visible on her face, and she was certain this thing could see it. The alien glanced over her one final time.

"What in Crota's name are you supposed to be?" Liara blinked, taken aback by what she just heard. The alien had just spoken to here. In English! Granted it had a soft, yet glutaral accent, but still English! Liara shook her head. She had to respond. Putting on her bravest face, she spoke with her usual authoritative tone, her fear leaving her as she regained her composer.

"My name is Liara T'soni, and I'm an Asari. Who might you be?" The alien frowned, and pulled its head back. Clearly, it too was surprised that the alien could speak. It then sat up, taking its hands off of the ground as it sat on its knees, then cleared its throat.

"My name is Mirvia, the Exiled. I'm a drifter in these parts." It leaned in close again.

"What business do you have in a Devil's camp, Laria Terson? Captured and experimented on? Maybe a concubine for their spook?" Liara held in a gasp, quite offended by the accusations by this alien.

"I most certainly am not." She quickly rose to her feet, or at least tried to. Her attempt only got her to her knees before her legs nearly buckled under her again, forcing her to drop to a kneel. The alien lept back in response, knife raised. Clearly this thing was as afraid of her as she was off it.

"Well then, what are you doing here. No one but the Devil's come her by chose." Liara placed a hand on her head, and shook it.

"I honestly can't remember. I simply woke up on that terrible behind me. I don't remember anything about how I got here." The alien stood, cackling at her.

"Well that's just unfortunate." It sheathed its knife, then strode over to the shelves, and began rummaging through them. "I myself am here to do a little raiding."

Liara glanced at the alien, then to the dead one. "Thanks for killing that thing." The alien stopped, and turned to look at her before returning to her searching.

"Don't. I killed him more to keep him from sounding an alarm than anything else. I don't like leaving any witnesses." It continued to rummage through the boxes, pulling out several small, glowing blue orbs, along with a couple other random metal pieces. All of these it stuffed into a small back that attached to its belt. It then turned toward Liara, drawing a sword as it stared at her. "Unfortunately, this means I can't leave you alive either." It began walking towards Liara, glaring into her eyes. Fear came over her face, and she began scooting backwards.

"Wait! I can help you! I'm quite skilled with technology!" The alien humphed, raising its sword.

"I don't care. I can't leave you ali…" The alien was interrupted by a distant explosion that shook the building they were in. The alien froze, clearly put off by the explosion. Shortly after, shouts of some alien language began echoing around them, and a siren began blaring in the distant.

"S***! Guardians!" The alien turned towards the door, sheathing its sword as it dropped to its knees. Liara was once again confused by what was happening. Everything was happening to fast for her clouded mind to comprehend. This was such an alien feeling to her, almost as alien as the creature before her. The alien then turned to face Liara, glaring at her.

"I'll kill you next time Laria. Consider yourself lucky." It then took off running down the hall, disappearing from site. Liara stared in confusion down the hall the alien had run down, wondering what would happen to here now.

* * *

"So, you want me to believe that not only are you not from around here, but that you're from an alternate reality where the Collapse never happened? Forgive me for sounding skeptical." Shepard sighed, rubbed her temple. When she and Tri had first started speaking, she simply shared with him her encounter with Amber, and the battle that followed. He was quite intrigued by the tale, and asked her many questions about her fighting abilities. Once they had covered that, he then asked her about her waking up in the wilderness, and that's when things got weird. Without much choice, she spilled the beans about her not being from around here, and that was being met with resistance.

"Look, I know it sounds weird, but I'm telling the truth. Where I come from, Earth is still intact, our society is flourishing, and alien species we know of aren't trying to kill us. In fact, they're our allies."

Tri sighed, rubbing his forehead. "That doesn't make any sense. How is that possible?"

Crystal placed a hand on Tri's shoulder, resulting in him turning and facing her. "Tri. Don't be so bullheaded. Have you considered the fact that maybe the Vex are involved?"

Tri rose a brow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that perhaps there is a logical explanation for this. And that involves the Vex. We already know that they have the power to move through time and space at will, so who's to say that they can also move through realities, or that they can bring someone back."

"What? Are you saying that she's with the Vex?"

"No, but perhaps she accidentally encountered them, and they transported her here. Would explain her confusion and lack of memory on how she got here."

Shepard sat there, thinking. While she mostly had no idea what they were talking about, what little she could understand made some sense. At least they were starting to believe her.

Tri then nodded. "I guess. For now, we'll stick with that theory." He turned to Shepard, who raised her head to look at him. "However, I think it would be best if you didn't share this info with others. It's hard enough to understand, so let's not make it worse and try to explain it to others."

Shepard nodded. He was right. It would be best is she didn't mention it again, at least for the time being. Hopefully she'd be able to look more into it later, and maybe even find a way back. After she found her friends of course.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a soft beeping noise. She rose a brow, and glanced a Tri, the origin of the beeping. He stood up, placing a hand on the side of his head.

"Excuse me real fast." He walked out of the room, his place being taken by Amber.

"If it makes you feel any better. I believe you."

Shepard rose a brow. "Really? You."

Amber shrugged. "I mean, it is a little confusing, but honestly, that story of yours is to detailed to be fabricated. Plus, what do you gain by lying in such a way. If anything, it would have been smarter to just go along with what we were saying."

"That's true. But I'm not a fan of lying, and the truth would have revealed itself eventually anyway, so better to tell it now."

A thought then struck Shepard. "Hey Amber. You wouldn't happen to know if any, unidentified aliens have been found recently."

Amber frowned. "Not that I know of. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I wasn't alone when I was brought here. Two of my friends were with me, and both are one of those aliens that I spoke of earlier. One of the ones you wouldn't know about."

"Huh, so I'm guessing your worried about them and want to know if they're here as well."

Shepard nodded, glad that her point was easy to make out.

"Well, I'd be more than happy to look into it for you, if you want."

"That would mean a lot to me, thank you."

Tri then reentered the room, gaining everyone's attention.

"Alright Saber Squad. Vanguard has a mission for use. Cayde has picked ups some Fallen transmissions concerning an "item of interest." He wants us to check it out and, if possible, acquire this item for ourselves."

"Tri. If it's alright, I'd rather stay here. I have some more research I have to do." He nodded.

"That's fine Crystal, I was actually hoping you'd stay. Cayde wants you to study the signal directly for him." Crystal smirked at this. Amber then stood, speaking.

"Tri, what are we going to do with Shepard. If I were her, I wouldn't want to be stuck in a room with Crystal." This earned her a glare from the guardian in question, but she ignored her.

Tri turned and stared at Shepard for a moment, slightly unnerving her.

"She's coming with us."

Shepard was stunned, surprised by the comment. He wanted her to come with him? Why? It also seemed like Crystal had the same thought.

"Tri! I know we talked about seeing if she could become a Guardian, but you never asked the Vanguard, and I know Zavala wouldn't approve of…"

"I know what Zavala would think, but I want to see what Shepard can do myself. Plus, if I can get some combat footage of her, it would help in getting her approved." He then glanced back at Shepard. "If you want to come with us that is."

She thought about it, but only for a moment. She wasn't one to sit out of a fight if one was happening. Plus, for all she knew, this might be her only opportunity to get to go back out anytime soon, so the choice was obvious.

She smirked, nodding at him. "Of course. I would be honored to work with you."

Amber then cleared here thought. "Not to be "that guy", but she doesn't have any weapons nor adequate armor."

"Don't worry about that Amber, I've got it covered. Get your things, we move out in 10." Amber nodded before jogging out of the room, Crystal turned and went back into her study, and then Tri glanced at Shepard before turning to leave as well. Shepard glanced down at her hands, thinking to herself. Slowly, she lifted her right hand, then closed it into a fist, immediately, her omni-blade sprang to life, casting a faint orange glow onto the room. She couldn't stop a smirk from spreading across her face.

* * *

 **Authors Note: After reading some comments, talking with a friend, and thinking it over for a few days, I decided to rewrite the ending of this chapter. I apologize for the rushed feel of the original draft. I had quickly placed that ending down without much thought because I was getting a little tired of the talking, and wanted to get on to the combat, which will be happening next chapter. However, I have now reworked how Shepard and her crew will be interacting with the Destiny world, and this rewrite better portrays how this interaction will occur. The rewrite also fixes some other problems which I was facing, but I won't go into those. Anyway, I hope this rewrite eases the minds of you readers, and shows how I do listen to your comments and feedback. I also want to thank Leonard Church814 for the very in-depth analysis of non-Guardians becoming Guardians in Destiny Lore. I never knew any of that, and I wanted to thank you for being dedicated enough to share Grimoire information with me. Next chapter will have some action in it, I promise. Until then, ZOMAN signing out!**


	4. Know your Enemies

"Tri. Where did you get this armor?" He turned and gave Amber a sideways glance, trying, yet failing to hid the annoyance on his face.

"From Vaira. She had some left-over armor and she said I could use it for scrap."

"Oh really, is that the lie you're telling yourself. Alright then."

"Amber, I've told you hundreds of times, there is nothing between us. We're simply friends."

"Whatever spark pluck. Whatever gets your current flowing." She smirked, earning a growl from the Exo. Shepard glanced over her shoulder at him, and he turned to face her. Despite his angry expression, Shepard couldn't stop a smirk from spreading across her face. Her smartassness was starting to show again.

"So, you have a girl Tri?" This earned her a glare from him, followed by a yank on the connecting strap on her back, resulting in it growing painfully tight. She held in a pained yelp.

"Shutting up."

He loosened the strap back up before speaking. "As I said. We're friends. However, Amber likes to think since she's the only female Exo I ever hang out with means that we're dating. Which is just stupid."

"Well, whatever the case, thanks for the armor." Tri attached the final metal shoulder pad in place before patting Shepard's back.

"It's not trouble at all. Like I said, I was planning on scrapping this. But this is a far better use for it if you ask me."

Shepard nodded, then turned to face Tri, admiring her armor. The armor was colored a glossy white, with red accents surrounding her joints, and with a black under suit. It was a little bulkier then her N7 armor, but it felt just as light, and even more maneuverable. Truly incredible. She glanced back up, and saw Tri holding out her helmet. It was the same color as her armor, and had a large black visor which covered the entire top of her head and the front of her face. However, it looked like it was made of metal, not glass. Curious. She slipped it on, and immediately the inside lit up with light, a display screen appearing, allowing her to see through the helmet. A HUD appeared on the screen as well, showing her shield level, her ammo count and weapon type, as well as a radar system. She smirked within her helmet.

"This is sweet."

Tri chuckled. "Glad you like it. However, since you don't have a ghost, some of your systems will be more difficult to maintain. Until we figure out how to fix this, I'll let my ghost Sparks help you out." He held out his hand, and Sparks appeared, however this one looked quite different from the one she had seen before.

This one had a bulkier orange shell, with black metal straps bolted to the two side panels, two blue lights glowing from between the bolts. Navy blue strips also ran down the points of the ghost, and its eye was blue as well. It examined her before flying towards her then vanishing, startling Shepard slightly.

"Don't panic, but I'm inside your helmet. I'm just going to boot up all your systems, connect you with our Fireteam comms, and…. Huh?"

Shepard rose a brow. "What is it?"

"I'm detecting another connection point, almost like a computer."

"Oh um. Could you transfer all the suit controls to that please?"

"Why? I'm not even sure it's supposed to be in here."

"Please Sparks, it'll help my suit run better."

He sighed. "Fine. Transferring systems over now. But I'm not being held responsible if anything goes wrong."

Shepard glanced down at her right arm, her omni-tool brightening up as the suit commands were transferred to it, granting her easy access. She smirked, glancing up as Sparks reappeared. She quickly shut her omni-tool off before he saw it.

"Thanks Sparks." He glanced at her before nodding and flying back towards Tri, who was approaching her with an orange auto rifle in his hand.

"Here. Take this."

She took the rifle, giving it a small spin in her hands.

"Don't forget to tap the box on your hip if you need ammo, and try not to drop the cartridges, it makes combat a lot more dangerous."

She smirked, placing the rifle on her back, where magnetic seals engaged and held it firm, before she nodded.

"How good are you with shotguns."

She brightened up with that comment. "Pretty good. I normally like to carry one with me."

Tri nodded, holding out his hand again as a shotgun materialized in his hand. A second black box, this one with a green shine on it, was also in his hand.

"Then take this. And be sure to only use this ammo in it." She took the shotgun, and the box, clipping the shotgun onto her back and the box to her hip, below the first one. She noticed how her HUD automatically changed to match the weapons she now carried, along with displaying the ammo she carried. This was too cool.

Her attention was then drawn back to Tri, who now had a helmet over his head. It looked almost like a futuristic Roman helmet. A large fan of black and white feathers stuck up from the back of the helmet, curving with the shape of his head. Two large blue plates covered his face, and a pink light was glowing from between the plates in the front. He was holding a rifle in his hands, and a larger, more powerful looking shotgun was on his back. Beside him, Amber stood, her armor fully on again, and a rifle in her hands, and a sniper on her back. Then, they all vanished in a flash of light.

Tri lifted his rifle as soon as they touched the ground. The Cosmodrome spread out before them, its low rusted buildings covered in snow, and its few plants lazily shuddering in the cold breeze. It was nighttime, and the moon shone upon the landscape, turning it white. After a quick sweep, Tri lowered his rifle, then turned back to face the women behind him.

"Amber. Mount up and stay close. Shepard, you'll be riding with me."

She tilted her head at him. "Riding?" In answer to her question, Tri's Aeon Glow sparrow materialized under him. Shepard stared at it as if in shock.

"Ok. That is pretty cool." Tri gestured for her to hop onto the back. Carefully, she did so. She wrapped her arms around his chest, for lack of a better hold, and squeezed onto the small seat. Next to them, Amber sat on her own Aeon Glow sparrow, waiting patiently. Then, they took off into the distance.

* * *

"I thought you said this would be easy?"

"It will be."

"You call infiltrating a primary Devil's lair easy?"

Tri knelt beside Amber, who was lying prone on the ground, her face to the scope of her Dead Orbit sniper rifle. Behind them, Shepard was kneeling down, staying low so she would be out of site. Below them, a large set of buildings lay on the valley floor. A massive complex consisting of multiple warehouses and a factory building. From the distance, one could easily make out the large House of Devils banners that hung from the sides of the buildings, along with dozens of vandal guards pacing on the rooftops and by the doors. Several Skiffs could be seen filling a courtyard, and a team of pikes had just come in, parking themselves inside on the open warehouses. The only thing missing from the picture was walkers, but those were certainly here somewhere.

"Alright. So, it's a larger facility than I expected, but we can handle this. We've been through worse." Amber turned to glance a Tri, most likely giving him an "oh really" look. Tri ignored her.

"Just keep an eye on those pikes. Tell me if they move, and wait for my signal." Tri stood, and slipped over the lip of the hill and began sliding down. Shepard gave Amber one last glance before she shrugged, then slid down the hill as well. She followed close behind him, both moving carefully down the hill, hiding behind boulders whenever they stopped. Shepard came to a stop beside Tri, and glanced around the edge of the boulder. About 50 yards ahead, one of the warehouses stood, its door open. A single vandal, wire rifle in hand, stood by the door, looking incredibly bored. As far as it seemed, he was the only guard at this location currently.

"So. What's the plan." Tri glanced back a Shepard, and she stared back at him, waiting patiently. He then pointed around the boulder.

"Amber is going to pick off the roof guards first, creating a distraction. While that's happening, I'm going to run up and handle that guard." He gestured towards the vandal by the door.

"I want you to stay here till I handle him." Shepard frowned, a little disappointed she had to wait, but she nodded. She wasn't going to question him. Tri turned, facing the facility again as he placed a finger on the side of his helmet.

"Alright Amber. Knock them down."

Shepard glanced up, expecting the shots. However, all she could make out was a faint sliver of white, zipping by in an instant. No gunshot, no vapor trail. This happened once, twice, then three times. Finally, a fourth zipped by, resulting in a guard, who must have been standing on the roof out of site, crumbling to the ground. The body landed right next to the guard by the door, causing him to jump in surprise. However, he had no time to react to the body. As soon as it had fallen from the roof, Tri took off running straight towards the guard. Shepard watched as Tri sprinted with incredible speed towards the guard, tackling him to the ground just as he turned around. Raising an elbow, Tri slammed it into the side of the vandal's head, causing the helmet to crack and ether to spurt out from the shattered mouthpiece, killing it instantly and quietly. He then dropped to his knees, and signaled Shepard.

Glancing from side to side, Shepard then took off in a low crouch, covering the distance quickly before sliding into the open doorway. Inside, Tri had dragged the two bodies into a corner, where he was now discreetly stacking them to hid them from view.

"I'd say you've got about ten minutes before someone notices the guards missing."

"Noted. Keep us informed if anything changes. And stay out of sight."

"Copy that."

Tri glanced at Shepard, and she nodded, taking out her shotgun. He pulled out his auto rifle, and moved towards the door.

"Stay close, and don't shoot unless I say. Or if you're about to die." Shepard smirked at this, following close behind Tri.

They moved down dark and rusted halls, sticking to the shadows. Suddenly, Tri froze, listening. He then shoved Shepard to the side, pushing her into a gap within the wall. This alarmed her, but she kept silent, remaining still as Tri held her against the wall. He then squeezed in himself, pressing himself almost uncomfortably close to her to fit within the small space. He must have heard something to cause this reaction. Then she heard it, a soft whirling sound, like a machine of some kind. The source of the sound then appeared. A drone, about the size of a dog, flew down the hall slowly. It was box shaped, mostly, but two small discs where placed on its back corners, small flames erupting from the discs, showing they provided the drones propulsion. Small metal fins underneath steered the drone. The drone stopped, then slowly turned to face the wall they hid in. Three blue lights in the front lit up, looking like the eyes of a creature. A gun was attached underneath the drone, providing it with a means of defense. It slowly scanned the wall, the small gun twitching from side to side. Finally, after a few moments, the drone turned back around then continued down the hall, as if it had seen nothing.

After a few moments, Tri slowly pulled himself from the tight space, and glanced down the hall. Shepard glanced out as well.

"What was that?" She made sure to keep her voice low. Tri answered in a low voice.

"That was a shank. Small fallen drones that act as scouts and attack drones. Their weak, not difficult to handle, but they will sound an alarm if they see us."

They moved down a few more corridors, sticking to the shadows. Finally, Tri held up a fist, causing Shepard to stop. A chattering noise could be heard from around the corner, the same kind that Shepard had heard the day she'd waken up. Tri moved forward, then peaked around the corner, looking inside. It was a small room, filled a several of those communication pillars that Shepard had seen earlier. A single vandal was in the room as well, its four arms moving across the pillars as it worked on them. Tri glanced back at Shepard, then gestured to the vandal with his head. She glanced at it before nodding at Tri, placing her rifle onto her back.

Slowly creeping forward, she activating her omni-blade as she entered the room. The vandal stood by one of the communication boxes, using its top two arms to hold it open while the lower two were rooting through wires and cables inside the box. Shepard moved forward slowly, staying low. The vandal froze, lifting its head and smelling the air before slowly glancing over its shoulder. As soon as it did, Shepard lunged forward, wrapping an arm around the vandal's neck as she shoved her omni-blade into its back. The alien went rigid, the lid of the comms box falling from its hands and crushing its lower arms with a dull thud. Shepard then pulled out the blade, and placed the body down on the ground. She turned just as Tri entered the room.

"That was pretty good." He glanced at the still active omni-blade.

"What is that?" Shepard glanced down at it, then deactivated it as she stood back up.

"It's an omni-tool, a multi-purpose tool that works as a melee weapon, a hacking device, and a personal computer. Their quite common where I'm from." Sparks then appeared, flying over to the boxes, but not before glancing at Shepard.

"Well that explains the additional computer port in your suit." Tri glanced at Shepard, then shrugged, and she shrugged back before at Sparks. The Ghost was scanning the boxes with a beam of blue energy, but what exactly he was doing, Shepard wasn't sure. Tri approached Sparks, placing a hand on one of the boxes.

"What do got Sparks, any clue what this "item of interest" may be?"

"It seems that the "item" is actually a person. If I'm hearing this correctly, they found a blue skinned humanoid that is neither a human nor an awoken. They've been trying to contact their Kell for hours, but have yet to make contact."

Shepard's eyes widened. A blue skinned humanoid that isn't a human or awoken. Could it be?

"Tri. We need to find this person. I think I might know who it is."

He glanced at her, "You do? Who?"

"A friend. Someone who was with me when I… came here."

He nodded, then turned to Sparks.

"Do you know where their holding this person?"

"Not specifically, but if I had to guess, it would be one of their back-storage rooms, deeper inside the facility.

"Which way is that?" Shepard glanced at Sparks.

"Whoa. Easy there Shepard. You can't just go running through the facility. You'll get yourself killed."

"Then come with me. Didn't we come to get the item of interest?"

Tri sighed, nodding. "Your right. We need to move." He glanced around real fast, peaking his head out of the room for a quick check.

"I think it's time we reveled ourselves to the fallen."

* * *

Amber glanced over the facility, thinking. How to make a distraction, many options. She could see several guards, pacing the roofs. Some expensive looking boxes near the rear, some… She stopped, a boom breaking the silence. She glanced up and spotted a Skiff flying in towards the facility, giving her an idea.

Leaping from the top of the hill, she allowed herself to slide down the slope, her rocket launcher appearing within her hands. A blue wire shot zipped by her head, but she ignored it. They'd spotted her, but that was the idea. As she came to a stop about halfway down the hill, she turned, then lifted up her rocket launcher, aimed it at the Skiff, then fired. The rocket screeched through the air, colliding with the Skiff's engine just as it passed over head. She lept to the ground, dodging the ball of flame and debris the erupted from the Skiff as its engine was blown out. The craft began spinning out of control, flames spewing from its back as it slowly descended from the sky before smashing into one of the buildings. An enormous explosion erupted from the buildings, a pillar of fire and smoke rising into the air as the ground shook.

Amber glanced up, a smirk spreading across her face as she watched the ball of fire slowly dissipate. An alarm began to blare, and the chattering shouts of fallen began rising into the air. She placed a finger on her helmet.

"How's that for a distraction?"

"Amber… I think that will do."

* * *

Horvack sat on the floor, his legs crossed and hands placed on his knees as he meditated. He breathed deeply, using the silence to clear his head. However, this silence was suddenly interrupted by a large explosion, which shook the building, flinging dust into the air at the metal walls rattled. His eyes opened slowly, and a low growl began to form in his throat. An alarm began to blare, and a few moments later, the door behind him burst open.

"Archon Horvack! Guardians are attacking the facility!"

Horvack glanced behind his shoulder, and spotted a captain flanked by two vandals standing in the doorway.

"Are you the one in charge of the guard?" Horvack's voice was low, almost calm. This unnerved the captain, causing him to hesitate for a moment before he straightened.

"I am. And I take full responsibility for…" His words were cut off as Horvack spun around, snarling as he stood, his fist extending to collide with the captain's head. The captain was knocked through the door and into the hall, were he smashed into a wall before landing on his stomach. As he tried to rise, Horvack rushed into the hall, the two vandals stepping aside, both out of respect and out of fear. Horvack slammed his foot onto the captains back, causing him to grunt in pain from the intense weight. He then bent down, and grabbed the captains two lower arms with his, as well as his cape with an upper hand. He then shoved down while yanking up, resulting in the cape, and the captain's arms, being torn from his body as he howled in pain. Horvack turned, the captain's arms dangling from his hands, ether splattering the floor and walls. He snarled at the vandals, who cowered in the doorway.

"Anyone else want to fail at their duty!?" The two vandals said nothing. They simply stared down at the ground, avoiding eye contact. Horvack growled before stepping off of the captain's back, dropping his arms and cape. He then grabbed the captain by the head, lifting him up before throwing him farther down the hall. He then turned and snarled at the vandals again.

"Then get this filth out of my sight! And kill those Guardians!" The two vandals nodded before hurrying down the hall, one picking up the captain's arms, while the other grabbed the wounded captain by the shoulders, lifting him to his feet and moving him out of the hall. Horvack growled as he turned back to his room, stepping inside and grabbing his staff from where it leaned against the wall. He stared at the inscription that he had carved into the metal wall, his hand extending to trace one of the shapes that made up the glyphs.

"These fools. All they care about is what the wretched humans have left behind, and how they can use it. They're blinded by greed. All Eliksni have fallen from our former glory. But I will return them to that glory. I will make them see the light once again." As he turned to leave the room, his fingers trailed from the image, his claws leaving a small trail underneath the three eyes that stared out from the snarling face on the wall.

* * *

The vandal snarled as it crawled out of the drainage pipe, drawing its two swords before rushing forward. Shepard stood, and fired her auto rifle at the vandal, causing it to stagger from the hail of bullets. Finally, its integrity failed, and it crumbled to the ground. Tri lept out from behind his cover, shotgun in hand, and rushed the captain. The fallen snarled, firing its shrapnel launcher in an attempt to stop the guardian, but it wasn't working. It tried to step to the side and dodge, but this failed, and it was knocked back by the shotgun firing, shattering its shields. Before it could retaliate, it caught a shotgun round to the face, resulting in its head erupting into a small fountain of ether. A dreg crept through the shadows, shock dagger in hand as it snuck up on Shepard. Shepard heard it and spun, deploying her omni-blade. The dreg snarled, lunging at her. She kicked her foot onto the air, her boot connecting with its head, knocking it to the ground. She followed up by slamming her blade into the dreg's chest, killing it instantly. She yanked out the blade, and looked at Tri.

"Tri, we need to go before we get surrounded." Tri looked up and nodded, releasing his grip on a dreg's crushed throat.

"Indeed. Stay close." He stood back up, and ran towards another hall, Shepard following close behind. Soon they came to a cross roads. Tri glanced from side to side before pointing to the left, then to the right. Shepard nodded, and ran down the left hall, while he ran down the right.

As Shepard ran, her mind raced. Her friend was here somewhere, and she was going to find her, and nothing was going to stop her. She rounded a corner, entering a wide room filled with shelves. A squad consisting of two dregs and a vandal were on the far side, all turning to face Shepard. She snarled at them, lifting her rifle and opening fire. One of the dregs dove for cover just as the other was knocked to the ground, its knee being blown out from Shepard's shots. The vandal lept back, grabbing one of the shelves and pulling it down. It then clambered over the cover before sticking its shock rifle out and firing. Shepard dove to the side, executed a roll, then came up shooting again, moving her shots upward. The dreg on the ground groaned in pain as the bullets trailed up its body before the last shots connected with its throat and skull, dropping it.

The second dreg poked its head around the corner, lifting it pistol and firing at Shepard. Shepard stood, back-peddling to avoid the tracking shots of the vandal. She fired at the vandal, forcing it to duck back behind cover. Shepard ran at the dreg, then swung her fist right as it peaked around the corner. Her fist connected with its head, knocking it to the ground. She fired into its back, ending its thrashing. She turned, placing her rifle on her back as she drew her shotgun, rushing the vandal. It stood, and lept over its cover, and swung its arms. Shepard was hit in the head, but she ignored it, swinging her gun at it. The butt of the gun smashed into the vandal's head, disorienting it. Before it could move, she shoved the barrel up under its chest plate, then fired. The vandal froze, its lower hands clasping at Shepard's gun for a moment, ether spilling out from around the gun. Soon the light faded from its eyes, and it went limp. Shepard kicked the body off of her gun, then wiped the ether off the barrel. She then ran out of the room, determined to find her friend.

* * *

Tri kneeled down by the captain's body, examining it closely. Running his finger across the large wound in its back, he took note of the burned flesh that surrounded it. This wasn't done by him or Shepard.

"Sparks. What does that look like to you?" The ghost appeared next to him, and began scanning the body. A dreg popped out of a nearby pipe, snarling. Tri turned, lifting his rifle and firing a short burst, dropping the dreg as its head erupted into ether. He turned back to Sparks, who was still scanning the body.

"Looks like a shock sword did this. A clean stab straight through the back."

"I know fallen houses fight amongst themselves, but the closest enemy house is miles from here."

"Then it would seem the Devils have more than one type of intruder." A muffled screech sounded from nearby, drawing Tri's attention. He glanced up right as the screech was replaced by the sound of a blade slicing flesh. From a nearby doorway, the body of a dreg dropped to the ground, its throat sliced open, smoking from fresh burns.

"Yeah. And I think I just found it." He ran towards the doorway, and picked up the sounds of footsteps running in front of him. He gave pursuit.

* * *

Amber hid behind a boulder, desperately trying to avoid the shots that pelted the stones around her. She glanced around the corner, but had to immediately pull back as her shields were broken by a wire shot. She gritted her teeth, shaking her head to rid her of a headache. Down below, dozens of dregs and vandals fired at her with shock rifles, pistols and wire rifles. Three captains roared in anger, firing their shrapnel launchers at her. Dozens of shanks wheeled about, trying to flank her.

Amber stuck her rifle out, dropping four shanks with a single shot apiece. She then drew her sniper, steadying her breathing. She peaked over the cover, then fired. The explosive sniper round blasted a captain off his feet, peppering two surrounding dregs with shrapnel as well as shattering the captain's shields. A second shot blasted the captains head off, spraying more shrapnel over the surrounding dregs and killing them too. She fired a third, which blasted a hole clean through the chest of a sniper vandal, knocking him off the roof. However, her shooting was interrupted by a shock grenade landing right next to her. Amber dove to the side, clearing the boulder just as blast went off. Rolling back to her feet, she took off into a sprint, running for a second boulder, firing her scout rifle as she went.

"Tri! Have you got what we're after yet, because I could really use some help out here!" She dove behind the boulder just as two more wire shots zipped by.

"Not yet. I'm in pursuit of a mystery killer. If it's what we're looking for, I plan to find out. Why?" Amber glanced out from behind the rock, and spotted something that made her blood freeze. The door of a large warehouse began to open slowly, revealing a walker, its orange lights and multiple legs giving it the appearance of a spider. Amber pulled her head back, resting it against the stone.

"Because there's a freakin walker preparing to obliterate me! So, hurry up!"

"Alright, alright! I'll try to hurry! Just stay alive." The walker stepped out, raising its cannon, and firing at Amber's position. The explosion shook the ground, obliterating several boulders, showering her with stone fragments. She shook herself, clearing her visor of dust.

"Easy for you to say."

"Oh, buck up meat bag. You'll be fine. Shepard, what's your status?"

* * *

Shepard ducked, dodging a spray of shrapnel fire as she fought a captain and a dreg. She fired a short burst with her rifle, breaking the captain's shields. However, he teleported out of sight before she could finish him off.

"I'm making progress, but I haven't found anything yet. Currently busy fighting."

"Keep searching. I might have lead though." Shepard nodded, smirking when the captain finally went down. She stood up, firing one last time to blow the head of the dreg as she walked past. She moved down another hall way, listening to the sounds of combat raging outside. The alarms were blaring, fallen were shouting, and explosions could be heard, shaking the building. Shepard ignored all this, and continued down the hall. As she rounded a corner, she was greeted by a metal pipe smashing into her gut. She keeled over, the wind knocked out of her, but she had no time to recover before the pipe was swung upward, striking her head and knocking her backwards. Her helmet peeped loudly, alerting her of her broken shields, but she shook her head, trying to clear the dizziness. Her eyes cleared just in time to make out her attacker as they reared up for another attack.

"Liara wait!"

Shepard starred in wonder at her friend, who had managed to come to this place along with her. The Asari stared at her in confusion, clearly not recognizing her. Shepard held up her hands, slowly standing back up.

"It's me Liara." She took her helmet off, allowing her to see her face. "It's Shepard."

Relief and joy spread over Liara's face, and she rushed forward, hugging Shepard tightly.

"Shepard! Thank the Goddess! I was afraid I was the only one here." She pulled away, then glanced over her, a brow raising.

"What are you wearing?" Shepard chuckled, pulling her helmet back on.

"I'll explain later. Let's get you out of here first." Liara watched her with curiosity and confusion.

"And where might here be exactly?" Shepard moved down the hall, gesturing for her to follow.

"Another time" Another explosion shook the building. "We're in a bit of a warzone here." Liara nodded, following as close as she could. However, she was limping, so Shepard had to slow her pace.

"Tri. I've recovered our missing person. How are things on your end?"

* * *

Tri slammed his fist one final time into the captain's head, cracking its helmet open as it went limp in his hands. He dropped the body, standing up.

"I lost my lead, but other than that, can't complain."

"I can complain! I can very much complain!" Amber's voice was stressed, and explosions could be heard in the background. Tri stood, clenching and unclenching his fist.

"Alright. We hear you. Shepard, meet up outside. We'll try to help out Amber. Amber, hold them off till we're clear. We'll make a run for it once we're all out."

"Try to hurry up spark plug. Their walker is not making this easy!" Tri chuckled, turning to leave. "I'm on my way."

However, before he could leave, a force, like a truck, slammed into him, knocking him back into a wall. He groaned, lifting his head to look at his attacker. A fallen thug glared at him, its large muscles bulging under its body suit. It reached for its belt, and drew it sword, a large machete shaped blade designed for hacking and chopping. A far more brutal design then the captain's longer and thinner swords designed for slicing and stabbing. The thug snarled, then rushed Tri, raising its blade. Tri raised his arms, crossing them to provide a shield. The blade slammed into his armored arms, his shields breaking from the impact, but the blow being successfully blocked. Tri shoved the blade back, providing some space between him and the thug. The beast glared at him, raising its sword in an attack pose. Tri drew his shotgun.

"Scratch that. I have a thug to deal with." The thug snarled, then charged him again. Tri roared back, rushing forward, firing his shotgun. To his surprised, the thug dove into a roll, the came up to Tri's left. It grabbed the tip of the shotgun barrel, shoved it to the side, then slammed its blade into the gun. The barrel shattered as it split in to, surprising Tri even more. The thug then slammed its fist into his head, knocking Tri back and forcing him to drop the broken weapon. Tri got his footing, only to leap back as the thug began swinging the blade at him with powerful downward and diagonal swipes. As the thug swung downwards to cut him from left shoulder to right hip, Tri ducked under the swing, and brought his fist up into the thug gut, directly below the chest plate. It slammed into flesh, releasing a burst of arc energy. The thug groaned, its body seizing up as Tri held his fist in place, the energy scorching the fallen's flesh and armor. Tri then kicked it square in the chest, catapulting it backwards and knocking the blade from its hand.

The thug smashed into the ground, skidding a few feet before it caught itself, then lept to its feet, glaring at Tri. Tri glared back, then charged him. They collided, and began exchanging punches, both punching with the force of a cannon. Tri smashed his fist repeatedly into the thug's side. The thug slugged Tri in the side of the head, the followed up with an upper cut, knocking Tri back. As the thug advanced Tri ran forward, leaping into the air then slamming his fist into the thug's skull, knocking it to the ground. Tri stepped forward, placing his hands together to pile drive the fallen. However, before he could, the thug rose, then slammed its fist into Tri ankle, causing it to crack loudly. While not broken, the data feedback, the Exo equivalent to pain, was enough to cause Tri to collapse. The thug stood up, grabbing Tri by the throat and lifting him up. Slamming its knee into Tri's gut, the blades attached to the knee guard impaled him. Tri groaned in pain, trying to ignore it. The thug brought its knee back, then kneed up again, but was stopped by Tri's hand. Tri then slammed his elbow into the thug's leg, snapping the femur in two. The fallen screamed in pain, its grip on Tri's throat loosening greatly. He then punched the thug in the chest, freeing himself from its grip and knocking its back. Amazingly, the thug remained standing, balancing on its one good leg and one shattered leg. However, Tri didn't give it time to react. He lept into the air, and roundhouse kicked the thug straight in the head. The alien flew back, slamming into the wall before sliding to the ground, dazed and wounded.

Tri looked down, spotting the thug's sword by his feet. He snatched it up, then stormed towards the thug. It glanced up, its eyes widening and hand raising to block the blow as Tri lifted up the blade. Tri slammed the blade down, missing the thugs arm, but cleaving the head of the thug in two. The blade stopped within the mouth, the lower jaw holding the blade while the eyes and head began slowly leaning to the side due to the split. Ether poured from the split skull and open mouth, coating the thug's body in the fluid. Tri released the blade, leaving it with the fallen's skull. He turned, placing a hand on his wounded gut. He'd be feeling that later, but for now, he needed to help his squad. He ran for the door, exiting the room.

* * *

Mirvia watched the fighting from a darkened pipe, her green eyes glowing faintly in the dark. She had led the guardian here on purpose, knowing that a Devil's squad was here, and that she'd be able to hid while they fought. He had been a persistent one, but she was used to running and avoiding detection. However, she hadn't expected the brawl that started when the thug arrived. But, it was a very amusing fight, something she hadn't seen in a long time. Now that the guardian was gone, she pulled herself out of the pipe, and lept to the ground. She ran to the thug's body, and searched it. She pulled out two shock cores, and even three clips for a Punt gun, however, the weapon itself wasn't on the thug person unfortunately. She glanced at the blade embedded in the thug's head. She grabbed the hilt, and pulled up, trying to free it from the beast's skull. However, the blade would budge. She stood, placed her foot on the thug's shoulder, then pulled again. Slowly, with a sickening slurp, the blade pulled free, nearly knocking over the thug's body in the process. She examined the blade, wiping off the ether. It would be nice to have a fresh sword again. She pulled off the thug's sheath, placing the blade inside, then attaching it to the small of her back. She then moved to the other bodies, scavenging anything she found useful. Then, once her work was done, she ran back to the wall, hauled herself up, and then disappeared down an air-shaft.

* * *

Moving quickly, Tri ran down a long hallway before bursting through a pair of doors, finding himself outside. Dozens of fallen stood against walls and boxes, firing at the distant hill. Vandal snipers stood on rooftops, taking crack shots whenever they could. However, one was then dropped by a guardian sniper round, its head erupting into ether. Tri decided it was time to introduce himself. He tossed out his flash grenade, and it landed right in the middle of several fallen. One of the dregs noticed, but its cry of alarm came too late. The grenade exploded, flinging the bodies of vandals and dregs into the air, and destroyed the shields of a nearby captain. As expected, the captain's head was taken off only moments later. Tri yelled, charging the fallen. The few that had escaped the grenades blast turned, surprised by the arrival of the second guardian. However, their surprise was replaced with fear as Tri charged, then shoulder smashed into a vandal, catapulting its body into a wall with a terrible crack. He then turned, and mowed down the remaining dregs with a single clip. He glanced up at the hill, smirking as he placed a finger on his helmet.

"I thought you said this was difficult. Seems easy to me." As if to mock him, a large explosion went off next to him, flinging him to the ground. He groaned, placing a hand on his head as he glanced up, and saw the fallen walker, its laser aimed right at him.

"Oh crap!" Tri lept upwards, engaging his lift to clear the ground just as the walker fired again. The blast lifted him high, and flung him back, resulting in him slamming into the side of a building. He groaned to himself, and stood. A laugh could be heard over the comms.

"I'm sorry Tri, what was that you said? Something about this being easy?" He grumbled, but said nothing, knowing that speaking would only egg Amber on. He turned, spotting several fallen rushing out of the facility, the walker just behind. He dove behind cover as it opened fire with its repeating gun. He stuck his gun around the corner and began firing back.

"Shepard! I'm outside with Amber! Where are you?"

"We're almost there. Are we clear for extraction yet?"

Tri growled, throwing out one of his grenades before unloading the remained of his clip into a charging vandal, which crumbled to the ground before it could reach him.

"Not even close. But its fine. Once you get out here, we're making a break for it."

"Roger that."

Rolling out of cover again, Tri fired upon the walker, ready to finish it once and for all.

"Amber! Take out one of its legs!"

He fired at one of the legs, the bullets tearing at the metal plating. The machine groaned, turning to face him before opening fire, forcing Tri back into cover. However, this didn't last long. A sniper round connected with the leg joint, shattering the metal plating with an explosive round. The machine buckled, its legs weakened enough to cause it to go into a lock down. However, unlike the other times, this time the machines frontal armor plate slide forward, exposing the burning hot machinery within. This design was placed in to prevent the walker from overheating and damaging itself after sustaining extreme stress, but guardians used it as a weakness. Seizing the moment, Tri lept into the air, his Smolder Rocket launcher in hand. While still airborne, he fired two void rockets straight at the walkers exposed machinery. The slammed into it, and a large, violet explosion rocked the tank, lifting it off its feet. It came on line temporarily, its body erupting with sparks of Arc energy as the machine short circuited. Then, the top of the machine exploded, flinging fire and metal shard high into the air before great machine collapsed.

The surrounding fallen snarled in outrage of their war machines destruction. At least half a dozen Vandals and captains roared in fury before charging at Tri. He began back-peddling, unloading into them. However, he only managed to drop one before his gun ran dry. He placed it on his back, then dropped to a knee, twisting his neck to the side to pop it. As the fallen drew closer, Tri proceeded to leap into the air, his fists now alight with crackling arc energy. He slammed them into the ground, and a massive shockwave of energy erupted outward from the strike. All the attacking fallen around him went ridged, their bodies seizing up as they began dissolving into blue light. Many of the bodies where flung into the air, the forms slowly vanishing into nothing. The shockwave died, and Tri remained on his knees, breathing heavy.

He looked up just in time to see Shepard exit the facility, followed by a strange, blue skinned humanoid that he didn't recognize. Grabbing his gun, he stood back up, and ran over to them.

"Quickly. We need to go. I'll take… this thing, and you ride with Amber. No time to lose!"

His sparrow materialized under him, startling the alien, but it tentatively got on, wrapping its arms around his chest for a hold. They then took off. Tri glanced behind him, pleased to see Shepard hopping on the back of Amber sparrow and following close behind. He was glad to have this place behind them now. The alien holding him shifted, returning him to the present. Hopefully, this thing would provide them with some answers.

* * *

Garrus screamed in pain, thrashing against his bonds. His body was burning, and his mind was barely functioning. Whatever it was that they were doing to him, it was destroying his mind. His thoughts, memories, and control were all being stripped away, leaving nothing but pain behind. His arms flexed, and the chains holding them went taunt. His chest heaved, trying to bring in oxygen, but the chain around his neck, and the spike protruding from his abdomen was making it difficult. He could feel his blood flowing from the wound in his gut, as well as from his limbs and neck, all rubbed raw from the cold chains. He tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't, the pain was too great.

"He is ready. Give him our gift." The cold, authorities voice from before was speaking, but it sounded distant and faint. Most likely because of the pain clouding his mind.

Suddenly, a cold hand grabbed his face, cutting off his screams of pain. His mouth was squeezed, forcing it open. Something was forced into his mouth, something cold, and slimy, writhing and thrashing against his tongue and the hand of its captor. It was stuffed farther in, gagging Garrus as it was forced painfully down his throat. His face was released, and he gagged, keeling over as his throat hemorrhaged from the intruder sliding down his throat. He coughed once, then twice. He could feel the blood flying from his mouth as he coughed. He gasped again, throwing his head back, trying to regain breath, and his eyes finally opened.

He couldn't make out anything, blood and tears preventing him from seeing anything beyond cloudiness and blue. His body trembled, the pain now being joined by a burning sensation flowing from his chest. His breathing was staggered as he gasped for air, trying to hold on to consciousness as he body began thrashing.  
"Shepard. Forgive me. I have failed you." His voice was little more than a pained wheeze. His breath left him, and he thrashed again, groaning and gagging before his entire body went ridged. Then, Garrus Vakarian fell still, his strength and consciousness failing him as the pain drove him into a world of darkness.

* * *

 **Authors Note: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was fun getting to write out the fighting, just something about it is just so much fun. Anyway, I hope that I didn't offend anyone by showing guardians fighting brutally. Also on the notion of brutality, before you go and tell me that "that's not how fallen demote people" and "that's to barbaric, their supposed to be noble". I know. If that is the case, and I honestly don't even know for sure, I plan to respect that, but in this case, the actions were done by Horvack, and he does not act the same as other Fallen. At any rate, please comment, I would love to see your theories on what you think will happen. Also, please share any constructive criticism. I want to get better. Until next time. ZOMAN out!**


	5. Beginnings and Endings

Horvack leaned on his staff, glaring at the wreckage of the destroyed walker. To say that he was displeased would be an understatement. He glanced over at a nearby dreg, who was dragging the body of a headless vandal, struggling to pull the larger body across the ground. A captain approached Horvack, shrapnel launcher in its hand.

"The facility has been swept, no sign of the guardians anywhere. However, the prisoner is missing. I believe that it was taken."

Horvack stiffened, and held in a growl.

"Where are the guards?"  
"They were killed in the attack sir. One was butchered by a guardian with another squad. The other seems to have been killed by another Eliksni."

Horvack turned, grinding his teeth together, thinking. She had been here, within the facility. He knew that he had felt a presence, one that wasn't the guardians light, yet he'd ignored it. That would be the last time.

"Priest Horvack!" He turned and faced the source of the call. A female vandal was running up from the facility, and was surprisingly unarmed. He glanced over her, waiting for her to get close before answering.

"What is it?" She stopped, and gave the captain a sideways glance. He sneered at her, but said nothing.

"We've received a message from Kell Valosh. She's on her way now and wishes to speak with you. She'll be arriving shortly."

Horvack nodded, gesturing for the vandal to leave. She dipped her head before turning and running back inside the facility. Horvack glanced at the captain.

"Prepare the men. I want everything to be in order when the Kell arrives. Understand?"

The captain nodded before turning and head back to the facility, shoving a dreg to the side as he went. Horvack turned from the facility, glancing over the few remaining bodies that littered the ground. Something unusual caught it attention. He walked across the field, then knelt down, extending his hand and dipping his fingers into a small puddle of purple fluid. He lifted his hand to his face, and sniffed the fluid. Blood. He reached up his other hand, unclipping a small strap under his helmet, causing it to hiss as he lifted it slightly from his head. His long tongue snaked out from under the helmet, and licked the blood from his fingers. Sweet. He licked off the rest, then lowered his helmet, reattaching it. He stood back up, rubbing his fingers together to clean the rest of the blood off. How very peculiar, unlike any blood he'd tasted before. Must have come from the mystery creature. Very peculiar indeed.

A sonic boom interrupted his thoughts, causing him to turn. A large skiff, its hull painted scarlet and extra plates of armor attached to the sides, flew in from over a hill, and then landed. Horvack moved toward the landing, followed by wo captains and four vandals. Once they got close, they stopped, and waited.

Slowly, the bottom of the skiff opened up, and out came three figures. The one on the left was large bulky figure, his armor thick and jagged, with several pieces jutting out to give him a fearsome profile. A large black cape with a red Devil's emblem hung from his shoulders, and a cloth that matched the cape was attached to his chest plate. His helmet possessed a single, backwards swept horn instead of the twin side horns found on most high ranking fallen, and two large tubes attached to a rebreather on the front of the mask before running over each shoulder and attaching to large tanks on his back. Between his shoulder blades was a rounded box, with a light on the back and a large antenna jutting out over his right shoulder. A large shrapnel launcher was in his hands, and two thug style swords hung from his belt. This was Baron Asokek, head of the Devil's skiff fleet.

On the right was a slimmer, more streamlined figure wearing black armor with red armored plates covering the limbs. A red emblem of an Eliksni skull, with twin swords crossed under it was stamped on the black chest plate, slightly to the left side. Two thin strips of black cloth attached to the shoulders, extending down the back like small capes, and a black loincloth attached to the front of the belt. The helmet was shaped like a typical archon helm, but with the horns removed. Also, a single tube attached to the top of the masks rebreather, running upwards against the helmet, between the eye pieces and extending over the helmet to connect with a tank on its back. The arm guards were thick, hiding retractable blades within them, as well as having four shock cores apiece to power the blades. Two punt guns were attached to the thigh guards, and two shock repeaters were placed on his back, providing him with a considerable amount of firepower. This was Baron Dregeks, head of the Devil's new intelligence sector.

In the center, the largest figure of them all, was Lady Valosh, Kell of the House of Devils. She stood over 12ft. tall, and her helmet and armor was almost the same as Archon Priest Aksor, but slightly slimier, and with scarlet plates instead of gold and grey plates. A large scarlet cape flowed from her shoulders, and a large loincloth, stamped with the Devils emblem. Similar to Asokek, a red cloth with the Devils emblem on it covered her chest plate. A massive sword, far larger than a captain sword, was attached to her back, along with her large shrapnel launcher and two punt guns attached to her thigh guards, but currently her hands were at the moment free, swinging gently with her stride.

Horvack bowed slightly in respect of the Kell, and the captains and vandal behind him did the same. Shifting his weight on the staff, Horvack stretched his shoulders, causing the guardian helmets and bones on his spikes and belt to rattle loudly. His slouching posture often led to back pain, but it had gotten even worse recently.

"Lady Valosh. You requested to see me." The Kell glanced over him, then at the facility.

"Yes. I am aware that you have been trying to contact me for several hours now, something about a mystery person you discovered. I'd very much like to see this person myself."

Horvack's shoulders sagged, and he glanced down, his fingers clenching and unclenching on his staff.

"Unfortunately, we were attacked by guardians, and amid the chaos, the mystery person was taken." Valosh crossed her arms, glaring down at the priest.  
"You aloud guardians to not only locate one of our key storage facilities, but also capture a possible valuable asset."

"Ma'am I…"

"Silence! I expected more out of you Horvack. I thought I could trust you with guarding this facility. It would appear that I was wrong."

"No my Kell. You were not. I merely underestimated the guardian's strength. But we must concern ourselves with more important fares." He took a step forward. "I am certain that the arrival of this mystery figure is a sign. A sign that the Second Whirlwind is coming." The vandals that stood behind Horvack gasped, and the captains shifted uncomfortably. Meanwhile, Asokek and Dregeks glanced at each other, and Valosh seemed slightly stunned.

"What are you suggesting Priest?"

"The House of Dust has known for many years that the Second Whirlwind would be coming, and we've taken many precautions to ensure the survival of our race. Now, with the arrival of these mysterious humanoids, it is clear. We must act now, to save ourselves from certain death."

"And what is it you suggest witch?" Dregeks snarled out. He never liked Horvack, and viewed the House of Dust as psychotic. If it was up to him, he would have them all slaughtered. Unfortunately, his Kell view the House as valuable enough to ally with, if for nothing else then to prevent them from being enemies. Horvack glanced at Dregeks, drilling him with a stare before turning to face the Kell.

"I've proposed this before, and it still stands." Valosh took a step forward, glaring into Horvack's eyes, her voice venomous.

"I will not start an all-out war between the Devils and the Hive!" Horvack stood firm, unmoving.

"Then all of us will die." Valosh snarled, turning to her face her Barons.

"Asokek! Move our forces and supplies back to the Ketch. Dregeks! Make sure that this facility is never found again."

The two Barons nodded at her, then left, Dregeks moving towards the facility while Asokek moved away, placing his hand on his helmet, the tip of his antennae lighting up as he contacted his ships. Valosh glanced down at Horvack, and he glanced back.

"You are dismissed priest. Pray to your gods that you don't fail me again." She turned away, striding toward the facility, the lesser fallen parting to let her by.

Horvack watcher her leave, sneering underneath his helmet at her. She may be strong willed and powerful, but he wasn't fond of her methods. More accurately, he wasn't fond of her hard headedness and inability to see logic when it was right in front of her. However, it mattered little. If she refused to follow, she would perish.

"Gathra!" A moment later, a female vandal, wearing a green sash over her white armor, ran out of the facility, dropping to a knee and dipping her head in front of Horvack.  
"My Lord." He glanced down at her.

"We have been ordered to leave the facility. Gather my things, and ready my ship." She nodded, then stood. However, before she left, he glanced back at her.

"Wait." She stopped, glancing at him. "First, bring me a Pawn." She glanced at him for a moment before nodding and turning, running back towards the facility, where the others had begun moving equipment out and into the newly arriving skiffs. Horvack glanced around, and spotted the puddle of purple blood again. He stepped towards it, then kneed down next to it. Reaching into cloak, he withdrew a syringe, then placed it into the puddle, drawing it up into the storage vial. Once he'd gotten it all, he lifted the syringe, took off the needle, then sealed the vial with a stopper, placing it back within his cloak. As he stood, he heard footsteps behind him.

Turning, he spotted Gathra approaching, holding a chain in her hand. On the other end of the chain was a Pawn, a dreg who had shamed themselves beyond the price of death. It was the same size as other dregs, and wore roughly the same outfit, but there were some differences, such as the lack of a helmet. Along with the two missing lower arms, this one's upper left arm was also missing, replaced with a pod like the lower two. It's two right eyes were also missing, having been gouged out. A cloth had been wrapped around its head to cover the empty eye sockets. However, the biggest difference was the box that had been bolted into its flesh, the box filled with explosive, similar to an exploding dreg. A large metal ring was wrapped around its neck, attaching it to the chain in Gathra's hand. She yanked the pawn forward, resulting in it tripping and falling at Horvack's feet, glancing up at him.

The archon stared down at the pawn for a second, the knelt down, grabbing the pawn by the throat and hoisting him up into the air. Horvack's hand began glowing sickly green, and the pawn began shuddering. Its eyes began glowing green, and slowly, the flesh of the pawn began thinning, the skin hugging the bones as the life was sucked from it, ether leaking from its eyes and mouth. Finally, after a few moments, the pawn looked like little more than skin and bones, smoke drifting out of its mouth and empty eye sockets.

Horvack shuddered, his shoulders rising as his stature straightened, as if he had gained strength, the pain in his back now gone. He tossed the body aside, then turned and walked towards the facility, his stride now faster than it had been before.

* * *

Mirvia sat next to a fire, slicing off a hunk of meat from the deer she had hanging over it. She bit into the flesh, savoring the rich taste as juice ran out from between her exposed mouth tendons and over her chin. Unlike other fallen, she didn't require ether to survive. Also, due to the traits provided by her father, she didn't require food to survive either. However, she still enjoyed eating, since it gave her an energy boost. Plus, the taste is a nice bonus. She glanced around at her cave. It was one several secluded spots she had hidden across the wastelands, all places that she called home. Holes she could hid in, which ever one was closest at the time. However, this one was her favorite. It was located on the top of a tall cliffside, high above the waste below. There was only one way to reach it, and that was to take a steep and narrow pass, which she had rigged with early warning systems and traps. Along with that, the cave itself was almost impossible to see unless you knew where to look for it. Being her favorite hideout, she kept her most valuable possessions within this cave. This included her weapons stash, several human artifacts which shed taken a liking too, and, most importantly, her collection of Hive artifacts. These artifacts included a wizard's helmets, several green crystals, a handful of hive books, a glowing orange jar, and most valuable, a miniature Oryx shrine which she'd swiped from the bowels of the Hive's stronghold.

She yanked off another hunk of meat, placing it within her mouth, then biting down. She thought about the humanoid she'd met earlier today. Such a strange a creature, like a human yet very different. Strange. She sighed, pulling out her dagger, running a finger over the blade. Hopefully leaving that thing alive wasn't going to come back to bite her. She thought a moment. She needed to make sure it didn't. She stood, walking over to her shrine and kneeling down in front of it. She placed a hand on the shrines orb, her hand starting to tingle from the energy coursing through the shrine. She lifted up a lower arm, and fished under her chest plate, bringing out the medallion that she wore at all times, the only thing she had left from her mother. It was made of black metal, with a green gemstone place in the middle, the stone glowing sickly. She rubbed the stone, simultaneously rubbing the shrine. Both the shrine and the gem began glowing and pulsing in tandem, showing how they shared a connection. She then began to pray.

"Lord Oryx, King of the Hive, god of destiny, hear me. My foes are closing in around me, threatening to devour me. Remember me my lord, grant me the strength to destroy them. Grant me the power, to become like you. Grant me the strength that you gave my father." She lifted her head, her green eyes glowing brightly, the shrines pale orange light illuminating her pale, dry face, her large fangs, her exposed jaw muscles and tendons, skeletal slit like nose and her dreadlocked hair.

* * *

Crystal sat at a table within the towers library, reading a large book on the fallen. She lifted an apple to her month, taking a bite as she read the page. Her finger traced over the writing, helping her to concentrate. She was so focused on what she was reading, she didn't notice the second guardian walk up behind her. He was human, with fare skin and dark, almost black hair. On his forehead was a green triangle, with two long strips running downwards towards his green eyes, then running over them. He placed a hand on her shoulder causing her to jump in surprise, then glance back at him, chuckling.

"Oh Theo, I didn't see you there." He chuckled, sitting down next to her.

"Hello Crystal. What you working on that has you so thoroughly preoccupied?"

"Just some research on fallen superstitious. Tri believes that he may have found some kind of religious artifact of theirs, and he wanted me to see if I could find anything useful."

Theo tilted his head, glancing at the book. "Any luck."

Crystal sighed, shaking her head. "No. Nothing the stands out. Most of their religious jargon circles their worship of the Servitors, but aside from that, nothing."

"Well, it's not like we're experts on Fallen religion or anything."

"That's true. Their culture is very confusing." A thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Hey, how is your research coming? Any breakthroughs?"

"Oh, it's coming along incredibly well. Yesterday I was working with some compounds, and I discovered that by taking an orb of Ascendant Energy and wrapping it in spin metal before freezing it for two hours, its dissolves into a paste that can heal wounds three-time faster than nanites!"

Amber's eyes widened. "Wow really? I didn't think anything could heal faster than nanites! How does it work?"

Theo shrugged. "Not completely sure, but from what I can tell, the substance connects with our inner light, and amplifies it in such a way that it heals the flesh. Kind of like how a ghost's revive works."

"Have you tested it yet?"

"No, but I gave Veronica a batch of it before she went out on patrol. Knowing her, she bound to get herself injured in some way, so it will be the perfect test."

"How exciting."

"I know right." He suddenly stopped, a beeping noise interrupting his thoughts. He glanced down at his wrist, were a holographic watch was beeping at him. Tapping it with his finger, the beeping stopped.

"Hey Crystal. You don't happen to have a Mote of Light on you by any chance?"

She thought a moment, then lifted up a hand, the small orb of pure light appearing in her palm.

"Yeah. What do you need it for?" He reached out, plucking the mote from her hand, giving it a few small tosses as he looked at it.

"I'm running some tests with them to see if it's possible to convert them into a liquid state. The applications if so might be endless." He stood, the mote held tightly in his hand.

"Thanks Crystal. I hope you find what you're looking for." She smiled at him.

"It's no trouble at all. And I hope your test go well." He nodded at her before turning to leave, with Crystal returning her focus to her books.

Theo walked down the hall, tossing the Mote of Light gently in his hands as he thought to himself. I hope that Veronica and Nova bring back some motes soon. If I continue asking others for them, someone might start to investigate. Reaching his quarters, he unlocked the door, then slowly pushed it open. Unlike most warlocks, Theo's quarters hadn't been converted into a lab or study room. In fact, aside from the rather extensive and large alchemy and chemistry tables located in the back, the dwelling looked incredibly normal. A kitchen area, a coach and a chair circling a table. A holo-screen flanked by picture frames. A quant dwelling.

Walking to his work table, Theo placed the mote on a small pedestal, suspending it with anti-gravity. Reaching for his heating box, he set the temperature to 350 degrees Celsius, the box's interior immediately starting to glow a brilliant yellow. Picking up a storage tube, he poured several chemicals into the tube, then finally dropped the mote into the amber fluid. The light shimmered within, and began to steam. He placed the tube inside the box, then closed it, allowing the tube to cook. He sighed, placing his arm on the table then supporting his head with it. He desperately hoped that it works this time. He'd gotten close before, but a fluke resulted in his heat box practically vaporizing itself into a puddle of motel ash. However, this time, he was certain it would work. It would make things much easier if it did.

The box began rattling, causing Theo to rise from the table, glancing at it. It rattled more, and the metal began glowing slightly, heat radiating from the box. He sword, the pulled its plug, immediately cutting off the power. He waited for a moment, letting the steam settle before reaching for the door, and opening it. A brilliant light shone from within the tube, the amber fluid having been replaced by this shimmering white fluid. He reached out, grabbing the still warm vile and lifting it up. He slowly spun it, watching in amazement as the glowing fluid flowed within the tube.

"It worked. It worked! Yes, it worked! Ahhh, this will make things so much easier." He grabbed a syringe, and slowly drew out a tiny sample of the liquid light. He placed it down. He needed to get going. He was already later than usual. He walked briskly back to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and took out a whole chicken which he had been saving. Taking out a knife, he drew it across the birds back, splitting the meat open about an inch deep. He then took the vial, and poured the liquid light out over the chicken, making sure that it seeped into it fully. Once he had emptied the vial, he picked up the chicken and began rubbing the excess fluid all over it, until the entire bird gave of soft glow. He smirked at the bird, examining it. Yes, this would work far better.

He opened one of his side doors, then stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. It was lit only by two lamps on either side of the door, both of which had been covered by white gems, so that the light was less intense. He kneeled down in front of the door, then held the chicken out.  
"Cleo. I have something for you." A soft grow responded back before the person in question revealed themselves. A thrall, with a metal collar around its neck attached to an energy chain, slowly crept forward out of the dark. However, this thrall looked different than most. A small black loincloth dangled from its waist, and metal spikes were drive through its lower arms; two on the right, and one on the left. Its chest was also less open then most, with a sealed abdominal area, with only the chest cavity still being opened up. Other than that, however, it resembled any other hive thrall, just not it behavior.

It slowly crawled forward on all fours, glancing between Theodore and the chicken. It then stopped about two feet from him, standing upright on all fours as its toes held it up. It glanced at the chicken one final time before turning to Theo, tilting its head.

"What that?" Its voice, though raspy and broken, had a surprisingly soft feminine tone to it. Theo smiled at her.

"This is dinner. It should work better than last time." She tilted her head back, then turned to the chicken.

"Cleo no like last time. Worm was hungry. Cleo felt pain." She faced him again, and he nodded at her.

"Yes, and I'm truly sorry about that. But I promise that this one will work." She gave him one final look before turning to the chicken. She slowly and cautiously reached out for the bird, then snatched it from his hands. She hunched over the bird, tearing into it with her teeth, snorting softly as she feed on it. Theodore smiled softly, then gently stepped forward, till he was kneeling right next to the feeding thrall. He lifted his hand, and gently placed it on the top of her smooth head. She froze momentarily before continuing, but at a slower pace. He slowly began rubbing the top of her head with his thumb. Once she finished, she sat down, placing her hands on the ground and her head against Theo's left arm, allowing him to continue to rub her head. It was an unknown feeling to her, one that she'd only received recently. A soft sound, like a hum or a purr, escaped her mouth, and she drooled through her exposed teeth, the black fluid sticking to Theo's arm. He ignored the drool, but smiled when he heard her purring as he continued to rub her head. Everything was working out perfectly.

* * *

James downed his drink in one final swig before placing the glass back down on the counter. This bar was one of the only decent places to go in the town of Vens, but he couldn't complain. The town was located near a forest, with tones of game and other supplied nearby. Plus, it had a strong trade with a nearby small city, providing it with goods that some would be jealous of. However, most importantly, it was too small for any enemies to take note of. Not that any were nearby. Fallen hadn't been seen within even 100 miles of the town, and nothing else was a threat out here, so it was a peaceful, if dull life. James rose from his stool, placed down enough glimmer to cover his drinks, then stepped out through the door.

Immediately, he noticed something was off. Usually, the night air was full of the sound of calling birds and buzzing insects. Maybe the calls of a frog or two, depending on the night. However, tonight, the air was deathly silent, not a noise to be heard. James glanced around, unnerved by this silence. He slowly walked down the street, glancing this way and that, but he saw nothing. He sighed, rubbing his head. Perhaps he'd had too much to drink. He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear the drowsiness from them. However, once he opened them, he saw something that made his heart stop. A woman, Patricia if he wasn't mistaken, was lying against the wall of a nearby building, blood pouring from a large wound in her chest. James ran up to her, and crouched, checking for a pulse. He found none. He glanced up, frantic, and spotted a second body, not ten feet away, this one unrecognizable due to the crushed skull. James gagged, looking away, trying not to vomit. When he looked up, his eyes traveled down the main street, and what he saw sickened him. All along the street, bodies lay here and there, all bleeding from wounds in their heads and chest, all of them dead. He couldn't hold it, he hurled on the spot.

As he stared at the ground, he noticed a green light slowly emerge from behind him, shining between his legs. His heart stopped, and he slowly turned to looked behind him. A figure stood behind him, one that made his blood run cold. He opened his throat to scream, but a cold hand shot forward, grabbing his throat and cutting off his air before he could. He was lifted up, held high as the beast glared at him with those hellish green eyes. They were the last thing he saw before he died.

* * *

 **Authors Note: Just a short filler chapter I felt like slapping in. Introduces a couple new characters, helps establish a few things, and provides some more insight. Next chapter will take longer to come out, so be prepared. It will also get back to our good friends from Mass Effect. Also, something I think I should share. Timeline wise, this takes place after the House of Wolves revolts but before Oryx arrives. In the story, when Crota was killed, he never sent out his message to the stars. So, while Oryx knows he's dead, he doesn't know how to get here, and thus, won't be showing up. At all. I know it might not be realistic, but I'm going with it. Also, due to some Ascended Hive attempting to fill Crota's position, a civil war has erupted within the hive. This, along with another issue, is making their impact toward the other races greatly lessened. Also, the one person who can stop the war, vanished around the same time Crota was killed. There you go, some extra lore I wanted to share. At any rate, please review. Tell me what you think. Please share your theories about what you think is happening, and what will happen to our dear friends. Also, let me know what you think about my original character, I'd love to know. Until next time, ZOMAN out.**


	6. A Change of Pace

The night was still. The air was silent, save for a few chirping insects. Wind blew gently across the sparse trees and bushes, causing their leaves to shudder gently. The stars shone in the night sky, and the moon gleamed, casting its pale light down upon the earth, its appearance showing nothing but innocence, despite the horrors which it held. Then, something changed. A light, like a star, began slowly descending from the sky, growing bright and brighter as it hurdled towards the earth. Then, the calmness of the night was shattered by a colossal explosion, shaking the ground and sending dirt high into the air. Slowly, the dust began settling, reveling the cause of the impact. A Hive seeder ship, its hull black as the night, and necrotic green lights shining from the trailing end, jutted up from the crater of its impact, steam rising from its hot surface, the earth surrounding it scotched black from the extreme heat. However, this intrusion did not go unnoticed by the local residents.

A nearby hillside suddenly shuddered, the front side of it shifting before collapsing inwards, reveling the gaping entrance to a cave. Three green eyes materialized from the blackness, gazing out of the cave, watching the seeder ship. As if in response, the side of the ship slowly slide open, reveling its darkened interior as it began glowing orange. Upon seeing this, the green eyes within the cave seemed to shudder, and a deep roared sounded from the darkness. Thrall, the horrific spawn of the Hive, rushed from the cave, snarling as they charged the ship. Their pale hides and blacked skulls, marked with white bands, reveled them as belonging to the Blood of Oryx sect. Forms began appearing within the orange glow of the ship, which materialized into more Thrall, who also rushed out, snarling as they sprinted towards the others. However, these looked far different than most Thralls. Their hides were blackened, as if burned in a fire, and crack like fissures snaked over their bodies, a deep orange glow emanating from the fissures, as if magma lay just beneath their flesh. Their claws glowed with solar energy instead of arc, and saliva that resembled lave seeped from their jaws. The two waves of Thrall collided, tearing into each other with reckless abandon, like two rabid wolves fighting over a kill.

More Hive began to emerged, both from the ship and from the cave. Acolytes, bearing the colors of the Blood of Oryx, stormed out, shredders in hand. They dove behind the cover of several boulders, then began firing at the thrall and ship. From the ship, Acolytes with flesh burned like the Thrall ran out, their armor a pale orange, caked in blacked ash, three horns jutting backwards from their helmets, and bodies riddled with the glowing fissures. Their eyes were orange instead of the typical green, and a hole was in their chests, seeping a magma like fluid, similar to the saliva dripping from their mouths. These were then joined by something else entirely. Three figures rushed out. They resembled the Acolytes, but with a few major differences. Orange transparent and glowing crystal jutted out from their gauntlets, knee and shoulder pads, and replaced the spikes on their helmets. Their helmets covered their eyes, replacing them with orange slits, giving them a far more fearsome appearance. Their exposed teeth were also sharper, more blade like as opposed to the flattened teeth of most Hive. Their fingers were tipped in more of the crystals, turning them into glowing, bladelike claws that put the claws of the Thrall to shame. These clawed hands gripped dual shredders, greatly increasing their deadliness. These were Marauders, a rarer, but far deadlier breed of Acolyte.

After the Acolytes, came the Knights, bellowing in fury at each other, cleavers in hand as they sprinted forward. The ones from the ship matched the other Hive from the ship. Blacked hide and armor, fissures of fire, orange eyes, and the gaping hole within their chests, magma like fluid seeping from them, and twin horns placed on the Knight's helmet. The Knights swept the Thrall aside with great sweeps, then their blades slammed together, shattering the night with crashes of fury. Shredder bolts tore through the air, and the cleavers slammed against each other with horrific crashes.

One of the Blood of Oryx knights blocked a down strike from its foe, raising its blade above its head to stop the cleaver. It then shoved back, then swung the blade in a wide arc. The charred Knight lept backward, snarling as it spun, swinging its blade back around. The blood knight ducked under the blade, jabbing its sword forward. The dull dip of the cleaver punched through the Knight's gut, causing dust to erupt out of the charred Knight's back. The Knight groaned, but its pain was cut short as the blood Knight ripped the blade from its gut, then swung it around, cleaving the charred Knight's head from its shoulders, resulting in it erupting into burning embers. One of the Marauders snarled at the Knight, firing at it with its twin shredders. Caught off guard, the Knight groaned in pain as the bolts of void energy tore through its back. The Knight turned, snarling at the Marauder and sprinting towards it, ignoring the void shots that peppered its chest and gut despite the ash leaking from several bullet wounds. However, before the Knight could smash the Marauder with its cleaver, the mutated Acolyte lept into the air, dropping its shredders and snarling as it landed on top of the Knights head. With its clawed, hand like feet, it griped the Knight's shoulders, straddling its head. It then slammed its clawed fingers into the Knight's face, the claws snagging the plate that protected its eyes before yanking up, prying the armored plate from the Knight's face and tearing out its eyes along with it. The Knight roared in pain as the plate tore free, several small tendrils now writhing on the eye plate as a thick black fluid began oozing from the new hole torn in the Knight's face. Blinded, the Knight swung its arms widely, frantically trying to shake the Marauder from its shoulders, but the attacker's clawed feet kept it in place. The Marauder then shoved its hand into the hole within the Knight's face, its claws digging into the soft flesh within the beast's skull. Grabbing a handful of brain matter, the Marauder yanked out its hand, resulting in the Knight's body erupting into embers underneath the Marauder's feet, the junk in its hand dissolving into ash.

A charred Knight roared, swinging its cleaver in a diagonal swing at a blood Knight, forcing it to leap to the side, its side being sliced open from the tip of the sword. The Knight clutched its side, ash pouring out from between its fingers, as it swung its sword at the charred Knight in an attempt to ward it off. The charred Knight blocked the swing with its own sword before slamming it onto the Knight's neck, bursting it to embers. The Knight then turned, snarling as it ran towards the remaining Acolytes, swinging its sword to slam one of them into a nearby boulder, the impact shattering the Hive warrior into ash. The last Acolyte dove behind a rock, avoiding a second swing by the Knight. Pressing its back against the rock, the Acolyte glanced around the corner, watching the charred Knight fight against one of the few remaining blood Knights. However, it only got to watch for a few seconds before something tackled it to the ground. It glanced up, locking eyes with a snarling Marauder. The beast snarled, then swung its shredder down at the Acolyte, planning to smash its head in with the weapon. The Acolyte rolled to the side, slipping out from under the Marauder and barely dodging the impact. The Acolyte tried to stand back up, but was stopped as the Marauder slammed its foot into its back, its hooked claws digging into the Acolyte's back. It then shoved its clawed hands into the Acolytes back before lowly lifted the hive warrior up into the air, ash raining from its back. But the fight wasn't over. The Acolyte suddenly shifted its weight, surprising the Marauder as it rolled down its arm, wrapping its right arm around the Marauders, and clenching its arm. The Marauder's arm snapped just above the elbow, resulting in the beast snarling in pain and dropping its shredder. The Acolyte, acting fast, snatched up the weapon, shoved it into the Marauder's gut, and fired until void bolts erupted from its back. The Marauder groaned, keeling over as its slowly began dissolving. The Acolyte literally tore itself away, ripping off the arm as it stepped aside, avoiding the Marauder as it dropped to its knees, then collapsed, its armor falling apart as the ash inside scattered with the wind. The Acolyte turned slowly, ashes dripping from the large wound in its back. It took a single step before collapsing, its strength failing. It lay still, the light fading from its eyes as its slowly crumbled into dust.

A charred Knight charged two blood Knight's, fearless as it faced two foes. The two Knights snarled at the one, one swinging it blade high, the other swinging low. The charred knight jumped over the blades before landing on top of one of them. Conjuring a wall of darkness, the knight slammed the wall into the blood Knight, knocking it backwards and disarming it. The charred Knight turned to the unarmed Knight, snarling as it advanced on its pray. Suddenly, a clever erupted from the Knight's chest, surprising it. The second blood Knight had thrown its weapon, resulting in the blade embedding itself inside of the Knights back. The charred Knight dropped to its knees, ash dripping from around the blade, before the second blood Knight placed it foot on the Knight's back, grabbed its sword hilt, then ripped it upward, splitting the Knight in half. It then turned to its companion, extending a hand to help it up. Accepting it, the two knights turned and faced the last remaining charred Knight. They glared at the Knight, which slowly backed up, glancing between the two Knights. Snarling, they took a step forward, preparing to charge, but stopped as an earthshaking roar split the air. The three Knights turned, facing the ship as one final, much larger figure, appeared within the ship.

It resembled a Knight, but was far different, standing a foot taller than the other Knights. Its gauntlets, calf guards, shoulder pads, and helmet were all covered in the same glowing orange crystals that covered the Marauder's body. It's flesh, like the others, was blacked, and its pale orange armor caked with black ash. The fissures covering its body glowed even more fiercely than the other's and the hole in its chest seeped a larger amount of the magma like fluid. Its helmet was form fitting, and had two large sweeping crests jutting back from the side of its head. Along with this, a large horn swept back over the helmet, and glowed with fiery light. The front of the crests had jutting pieces of metal attached to them, extending down and forming bladed mouth guards that flanked the mouth. The eyes were covered by the blacked helmet, orange slits replacing the eyes. The slits burned with fire, which seeped from the slits, and billowed out of the helmet. The exposed mouth had large, blade like teeth, and the same magma like saliva dripped from its snarling mouth. Its hands were covered in thick, spiked gauntlets, each one with two large spikes attached to its knuckles, giving it a deadly punch. These brutal gauntlets held a large pole, capped on both ends with savage spear tips, glowing with solar energy. An upside-down cleaver, its tip and blade sharpened to a wicked point, and the hilt replaced with a second bladed tip, was fastened to the pole, along with a smaller, hooked blade attached opposite of the larger blade. This weapon resembled an executioners axe, and burned with hellish flame that licked across the blade. This was a Verdugo, the deadliest and most blood thirsty spawn that a non-Ascendant Hive could become.

The beast roared in fury before sprinting towards the battle, catching the blood Knights by surprise. The Verdugo swung its axe in a large sweep, splitting the legs of a Knight at the knees, causing it to drop to the ground. It glanced up just in time for its attacker to swing its axe downwards, cleaving the Knight completely in two, resulting in the two halves dissolving into ash. The Verdugo then spun its axe, hooking the smaller blade around the second Knight's neck, before yanking it towards it. The Verdugo slammed its spiked fist into the Knight's face, caving it in with a brutal crunch before releasing it. The Knight stumbled back, black ooze and ash dribbling out of its shattered face as it dropped to its knees, then toppled backwards, the body crumbling to ash and scattering the armor. With the blood Knights now dead, the Verdugo turned its attention to the cave, were a wizard had just emerged, followed by three more Knights. She screeched in surprise upon seeing the Verdugo, then floated higher into the air, her hands glowing with arc energy as she unleashed a volley upon the now charging Verdugo and the sole surviving charred Knight, which now charged behind its champion.

The Verdugo roared, raising its hand and conjuring up a wall of darkness. However, unlike a Knight, the Verdugo was able to move with the wall up, allowing it to continue its charge while blocking the wizard's attack. The wizard snarled in annoyance before hurling a darkness curse directly at the Verdugo. Its shield having expired, the Verdugo rolled to the side, avoiding the blast, which struck the charred Knight in the chest, opening a large gash on its chest and throat. The Knight wailed in pain as the necrotic energy began eating away at its flesh, forcing it to drop to its knees before collapsing, the energy dissolving its flesh into nothing. Now closer, the blood Knights ran out from behind the wizard, lifting their cleavers to intercept the Verdugo. However, acting faster than the Knights anticipated, the Verdugo quickly swung its axe in an upward swing, splitting one Knight in half at the hips, and crashing the side of the blade into the head of another, swatting it aside. It then then drove the axe tip into the knee of the third, dropping the Knight before slamming its fist into the Knight's head, putting it to the ground. The wizard screeched in fear, floating backwards as she unleashed another volley of darkness bolts, but it wasn't enough. The Verdugo lept into the air, and impaled the wizard with the long end of its axe, skewering her through the chest. It then slammed her into the ground, nearly knocking the wizard out. The Verdugo yanked the spear from the wizard's chest, lifted its axe, then brought it down on her head, resulting in her screaming as she erupted into embers. However, the executioner's victory was short lived.

One of the Knights that had been swatted aside had recovered, and now swung its cleaver into the Verdugo's left arm, slicing it off just above the elbow. The mutated Knight roared in pain and fury, turning around and swinging its axe at the Knight, forcing it to leap backward to avoid the flaming blade. As the Verdugo swung high, the Knight ducked under the swing, and ran the beast through, the blunt tip of the cleaver bursting out of its back. However, the Verdugo was unfazed. It grabbed the Knight's wrist, dragged it forward, then slammed its head into the Knights, causing its helmet to crack, and ooze to spill out over its eyes. The Verdugo then lifted its axe, and swung the blade, cleaving the Knight's head clean off at the shoulders, resulting in it erupting into embers. But before the armor had hit the ground, the Verdugo's leg was split right at the knee, dropping it to the ground. It awkwardly turned, and met the eyes of the last blood Knight, its knee busted and ash and ooze dripping from its cracked helmet. The Verdugo only let out an angry snarl before the Knight rammed its cleaver straight into its face, right between the eyes. The beast's snarl was cut short, replaced with a haggled gurgle as the magma like fluid leaked from the split skull. The Knight then wrenched its bladed out, splitting the head in two and reducing the Verdugo to a cloud of embers.

Breathing heavily, the Knight scanned the surrounding carnage. Seeing no more enemy Hive, it turned and slowly limped back down into the cave from whence it came. The intruders had been defeated. For now.

* * *

"So, if your entire race is female, how do you reproduce?"

"Well, when an Asari and her lover decide to mate, they…"

"Please, you don't need to tell us."

"It's no trouble, I get this question all the time."

"It's not for your sake, it's for my own."

Tri groaned, placing his head back on his medical chair and rubbing his forehead. He felt awful. He'd been fine up until they'd gotten on board the ship, but once they'd left the Cosmodrome, his hyper actuators (think adrenaline) slowed down. Now he was suffering from some of the worse feedback jams he'd ever felt. So, here he was, reclining in his personal medical chair, a large metal vest over his torso, waiting for the nanites to patch up the several injures he'd received, which were actually more then he'd expected.

"Oh, come on Tri, let the woman explain. Would give her something to do." Amber said as she lightly punched him in the arm, earning her a glare from him. He glanced at the alien, looking over her. She was strikingly like a human. Same face shape, same hands, same build. In fact, give her a different skin tone and replace her weird head tentacles with hair and she'd easily pass as a human. However, what bothered him is that he found her attractive, something that he was quite unfamiliar with. He shook off the feeling, and glanced at Shepard, who reclined against the wall close by.

"So, she's an old friend of your?" Shepard glanced up at him, nodding.

"Yes. We've been very close friends for many years now, and I can assure you that she is completely trustworthy and should be able to…"

"Shepard. For the last time, I said no. Not right now."

"What do you think she's going to do, blow up the place? Assassinate someone?"

"Think of it this way. She is an unknown. An unknown that we recovered from Fallen territory. For all the Vanguard knows, she could be a spy of some type, or yes, an assassin sent in to kill the Vanguard, or, maybe lead the Fallen in through some secret way so they can kill us all."

"But she would never do that."

"And I'm sure your right, but I can't be certain, so there's no way she entering the Tower."

Tri grabbed the vest and yanked it off of him, sitting up in the seat. A fine, sand like substance fell from his stomach, the nanites. While they'd repaired the most serious damage, he still had some untreated damage left on his dermal plates. Those would have to wait. He stood, stretching his arms, ignoring the feedback jam that screamed from his joints. Pulling his chest armor on, he glanced back at the women behind him. The alien, Liara if he remembered correctly, stood with her arms crossed, and was having a quiet conversation with Amber, who was leaning on the med chair. Judging from the occasional glance in his direction, the silent tone, and Amber's occasional chuckle, they must be talking about the breeding thing. How crude. Meanwhile Shepard seemed to be pouting. He sighed. He'd deal with that later. At the moment, he needed to figure out what to do with the…Asari. He believed that's what she said she was. At any rate, his options were few, and unfortunately, the best option wasn't very reassuring.

"Buggy. Could you come her please?"

Tri glanced over his shoulder, spotting the green and yellow Ghost flying towards him, yellow eye bright.

"What's up boss?" Tri glanced at the feminine sounding Ghost, and rubbed his forehead.

"Buggy. I need to go down to the Tower for a while, but I don't want any of them," he gestured to the women behind him, "leaving. Unfortunately, out of all of them, you're the one I trust the most. So, once Sparks drops me off at the Tower, he will transfer ship controls to you."

Buggy's eyes widened with excitement. Clearly, she like this idea, maybe too much, and that worried Tri.

"I want you to take the ship back into orbit, and stay there until I signal you. Under no circumstances are you to go anywhere except where I call you. I don't care if a cabal fleet arrives and starts destroying the City, you don't budge. Alright." She nodded at him excitedly. Tri gave her the "really" look that parent give children when telling them orders.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"You're not going to leave because of some stupid reason."

"No sir. I will keep the ship in space, even if the world is ending."

Tri sighed. _Dear Traveler I hope this isn't a mistake._ "Alright. I'm counting on you. Don't make me regret it."

Buggy floated high, spinning with excitement. She slowly began heading back towards Amber.

"Don't worry boss, I won't let you down." She turned around, and slammed straight into a support beam with a thud. Tri's shoulders sagged as Sparks appeared, both watching as Buggy shook herself, then zipped back to Amber's side.

"Too late."

* * *

Tri landed in the courtyard of the tower, glancing back at his ship as it turned around and headed back into orbit. Breaking into a jog, he quickly ran downstairs. As he passed, he waved at Eris, who stood in her normal spot between the stairs, but she only glared at him in response, as per usual. Entering the Hall of Guardians, he quickly moving towards the back and approached Cayde. The Hunter Vanguard glanced up from some reports he had been reading, and smiled upon seeing his friend.

"Tri, good to see you. I trust your investigation into the Fallen signal went well?"

Tri rubbed the back of his head. "Yes, it did. But that's why I'm here. I need to talk to you." He glanced at Zavala, who was working on some paperwork. "In private."

Cayde blinked, glancing around. "Oh Ahhh, sure." Tri placed a hand on Cayde's shoulder, then him up the stairs, down a side hall, and into an empty room, shutting the door behind them. Cayde glanced at the door, then back to Tri.

"Try to be quick. Zavala doesn't like it when I "wander off". Tri nodded, then spoke.

"That "item of interest" that the Fallen had found, wasn't an item at all. It was a person."

Cayde's eyes widened. "Really? A person? Who was it?"

Tri shrugged his shoulders. "Well. That's the thing. The person is… an unknown alien species."

Cayde blinked, caught off guard. "Wait. An unknown alien species, in Fallen custody. Is it hostile?"

Tri shook his head. "No. She is actually quite friendly and seems to be friends with…" Tri stopped, realizing what he was saying. Cayde noticed, and raised a brow.

"Friends with who?"

"No one. Slip of the tongue."

"Tri. You don't have a tongue. Who is it that knows the alien?"

Tri sighed, rubbing his forehead. After a few seconds pause, and Cayde's drilling stare, he answered.

"Her name is Shepard. She's a new guardian within my squad. She's friends with the alien, knows all about her. Says she's trustworthy."

"And how does this Shepard know this alien, and how does a guardian encounter a new species without sharing it?"

Tri shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I trust Shepard. She helped with the alien's rescue, and has done nothing to show dishonesty."

Cayde stroked his chin, thinking.

"So, where is this alien now?"

"She, along with the rest of my squad, are on board my ship, waiting in orbit."

"Can I meet this alien?"

"Only if you can get make sure Zavala doesn't shoot her or arrest her on sight."

"Ahhh, so that's why you wanted to speak privately, scared you'd get on bad terms with your boss."

Tri glared at Cayde, who chuckled in response, smirking.

"I'll get Zavala to loosen up, and when he gives the ok, I'll let you know immediately."

Tri sighed in relief. "Thanks, Cayde."

"No problem, but you do owe me for this. I get to speak with it first, right?" He extended his hand. Tri chuckled, taking it.

"Only if you get there before Ikora." They pulled themselves together, and butted heads, their horns locking for a second before they pulled away, Cayde patting Tri's shoulder.

"Alright. I'll be sure to be there first." Tri smiled, then turned, heading back towards the steps. As he left, Cayde's communicator beeped. Picking it up, he flipped it open, holding it to his head.

"Cayde here."

"…"

"Wait slow down, what happened?"

"…"

"They're fighting each other? I didn't think that was possible."

"…"

"You didn't get involved, did you?"

"…"

"Geez, you trying to get yourself killed?"

"…"

"Alright, alright. No need to snap. I know you can handle yourself. Just try to stay out of it, and report back to me if you find out anything else. Just don't call me during work hours."

"…"

"Yes. I'm aware that entails not calling during the day, but that…"

"…"

"Yes, I know it's an inconvenience but so is being stuck inside the Tower all the time, but you don't hear me complain about that."

"…"

"Shut up."

"…"

"Well if I knew that than I would be working on it, now wouldn't I?"

"…"

"Yeah. I hope so too. Bye now."

Cayde put his communicator away, and quickly exited his room. If his informant was desperate enough to call him during daylight hours, then there were more serous things then an unknown alien that Zavala needed to know about.

* * *

Shepard sat in the ship, sighing to herself. She wasn't sure how long they'd been waiting, but it was long enough to make her bored. She glanced up, looking at the other people in the room. Amber lay on the med chair, her hands behind her head and her hood pulled up, most likely napping. Liara sat crosses legged on the floor, her eyes closed and head bowed, probably meditating. Shepard stood, walked over to Liara, then sat down next to her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. Liara jumped slightly, lifting her head and glancing back at Shepard.

"Oh Shepard, you startled me." Shepard smiled softly, patting her friends shoulder.

"How you feeling Liara, you coping alright?" Liara shrugged, then glanced at her hands.

"It's all a bit surreal, An entirely new reality, with a new earth and new races. In most cases I'd say such an idea was ridiculous, but now." She shook her head, then glanced back at Shepard, who chuckled.

"Yeah, it takes some getting used to, but it's actually easier to adjust then you'd think."

Liara nodded. "I hope so." A thought suddenly occurred to Shepard, causing her smile to fade.

"Hey Liara, you wouldn't happen to know where Garrus is, would you?"

Liara rose a brow. "No. I assumed he was here with you." Shepard shook her head, and Liara's face paled some.

"What if he's still out there? What if he's injured?" Liara's voice rose, and panic was evident, but she stopped when Shepard returned her hand to her shoulder.

"I'm sure he's alright, he's a tough guy. I'm sure he's hiding in some hole, killing anything that comes near him." Both Shepard and Liara chuckled at this.

"Yeah. He seems to be good at that."

"Who's Garrus?"

Both women turned and looked at Amber, who was now sitting up in her chair, glancing between the two of them.

"One of my best friends and closest ally. He was with us when we… well when we ended up here."

"A man working with two women, sounds like quite the charmer."

"You don't know the half of it," Liara whispered under her breath, earning a quick glare from Shepard, however, Amber didn't notice.

"You mind telling me what he looks like? Would help if I ever ran into him."

"He a Turian, a tall, bird like race that's covered in metal like plates. You'd know him when you see him."

Amber's eyes widened slightly, then she glanced to the side.

"You guys come from a messed-up universe. Aliens that resemble human models and metallic birds. Weird."

"Oh please, like this one is any less weird."

Amber chuckled, glancing back at Shepard. "Oh, never said mine wasn't weird, but at least mine makes sense."

"Yes, because Light fighting the Darkness isn't the most cliché thing ever and makes total sense. Right."

Liara rose a brow, glancing back at Shepard. "What are you talking about?"

"I'll tell you later."

Amber rose her hand in surrender. "Alright. I guess both of our realities are equally weird."

Letting out an explosive sigh, Amber laid back down in the chair, pulling her hood back over her eyes. They sat there in awkward silence for about five minutes before Amber sat up again, face red.

"What the hell is taking so long?"

* * *

Eris stood by her table of artifacts, gazing into the orb that she kept with her at all times. Most of the time, the stone was silent, but now, it buzzed and glowed brightly, and twirled within the sphere as if it was alive. Eris ran her hand over it, and coaxed out what it was hiding. Green flame erupted from the orb, and her eyes widened as images filled her mind.

A battle, Hive against Hive. A large Knight, welding a flaming axe, cleaving through lesser Knights as if they were Thrall. An Ogre, its hide covered it crystal growths and with nails driven through its limbs, battling against two smaller Ogres. A Fallen, its armor blackened and eyes green as the Hive, watched the fighting from affair. Fallen dressed in dark robes, bowed before a Hive crystal. A knife flashed, a Fallen screamed as its eyes were cut from its face. Another Fallen placed something within the torn face. Three green eyes, dripping black ooze, stared out from the Fallen's face. A human female, flanked by two strange creatures, stood within a courtyard, surrounded by strange statues. The floor glowed, and the statues came alive. The wall shattered, replaced by a ring of light, and a form emerged. A flash of light, and they vanished. A creature, bound in chains, screamed in agony, blue fluid flowing from its impaled form, thrashing against the chains that held it. Then, the images faded to black, and were replaced by members of each race, all standing in a line. A Fallen Vandal, a Hive Acolyte, a Vex Goblin, a Cabal Legionary, and even a Guardian. Behind them stood thousands of shadowed figures, each one different from the last. All stood, then all screamed as their flesh erupted into flames, burning it away until only charred skeletons remained. The screams of the dead rose higher, and were joined by a laugh. Then the images were pulled back out of her mind.

Eris gasped, stumbling back some. She placed a hand on her head, steadying herself. Whatever she had just seen, it scared her almost as much as Crota had. Something was happening, something that would lead to the destruction of everything within existence. An unknown force that threatened to burn the worlds to ash. Shaking herself, Eris glanced back down at the stone, then turned to her artifact table. She had some research to do.

* * *

 **Author's Note: This chapter was fun to write. The Hive civil war was especially fun. I cannot recall if anyone has written about Hive fighting against themselves before, so I hope I portrayed it at least partially accurately. Even if not, it was a blast to write. So, I hope you guys are enjoying the story, and please don't be shy with the reviews. I want to know what you guys think. If you enjoy my characters and ideas, and if you have any theory's. Currently, no one seems to have a clue what's happening, and I love it, MWHAHAHA. Anyway, this is ZOMAN, until next time, sighing out.**


	7. Introductions a Plenty

Buggy drifted around the ship cockpit gently, humming to herself in a soft voice. While slightly bored, she ignored her boredom, knowing well that Tri had trusted her with his ship, and he was counting on her. So, here she was, keeping the ship steadily drifting in orbit. It wasn't so bad. It was nice to have some space between herself and Amber. She may love the Guardian like a sister but at times she wanted to ignore her duty to revive her when killed. Her constant jabbering and… bizarre thoughts, made Buggy want to question Amber's and her own sanity at times. But now, within the empty cockpit, only blissful silence greeted her. Along with that, the window provided a gorgeous view of planet earth and the surrounding space, so, she couldn't complain.

Drifting over the control panel, a blinking light caught her eye, causing her to stop and glance down at the light. She tilted herself, examining it. What was this? A motion sensor? Her eye widened. Something was approaching the ship, and it was on a collision course! She zipped over to the flight sticks, and projected her beam of light. Gently, or what she hoped was gently, she moved the ship out of the way. She waited, metaphorically biting her nails hoping that the object missed them. Slowly, outside the window, the object drifted into few, avoiding the ship as it passed by the window. Buggy sighed in relief. That was a close one. She glanced at the object, trying to see what it was. She stopped, blinking, then focused. Was that what she thought it was?

She moved close to the window, staring. Yes, it was. Debris! A ship, or what was left of one, had just drifted by. A guardian's ship! She recognized the design. It was blackened, and was missing it back right half. A large hole was gaping from the front, where the cockpit should be. Something was in there. She squinted, the lept back in shock. There, barely hanging within the ship, was a body! The Guardian! There armor was blackened, and the helmet cracked terribly. A large, gaping hole was in the torso, glowing faint red. Red tendrils, like veins, snaked out from the hole, wrapping around the guardian's body and staining them red. What in the world was that? She glanced behind her, then back to the ruined ship, her beam of light materializing and zapping the controls. Slowly, the ship began moving forward. If she could just get a little closer…

A buzz of static caused Buggy to jump, resulting in the ship jerking violently to the side as Buggy yelped in surprise. A loud crash sounded from the back, followed by a loud yelp and cursing, but Buggy ignored this, instead focusing on the voice now coming through the radio.

"Buggy, come in. Can you hear me?"

"Yes! Yes, I can hear you Tri."

"You're in the clear. Please bring my ship to the Tower, but don't drop anyone off. Come straight to the landing pad. Understand?"

"Sure thing boss. We'll be down in a jiffy!"

"Be sure you tell the other first. Saberlinx out."

The communication cut off as quickly as it had started. Buggy sighed softly. Time to get moving again. She glanced back out the window, but was surprise to see that the wrecked ship was gone. No trace of it. She shook her head. Maybe she had just been seeing things. She turned and the door opened, revealing a red faced and p***ed off Amber.

* * *

Crystal walked down the hall slowly, reading some articles that she had pulled up on her data pad. Because of this, she was unaware of the door opening in front of her, and of the person exiting the door. With a comedic crash, the two collided, collapsing onto the floor. A stunned Crystal lay on the flood in shock as a flustered Theo quickly stood up, his face red from embarrassment.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! Are you alright?" He reached down a hand, which Crystal accepted.

"Yes Theo. I'm fine." She chuckled. "I'm the one that should apologize, not you. Silly me who's strolling down the halls with my nose in my data pad." She reached down and snatched up.

"True. But I'm still sorry." Crystal glanced at him, and smirked at his still red face.

"Of course."

Theo chuckled nervously, but nodded. Crystal shook her head in amusement, but then stopped, noticing something. She leaned towards Theo, and extended her hand. He leaned back slightly, raising a brow at her.

"Ah Crystal, what are you doing?" Crystal ignored him, and ran a few fingers through a layer of black fluid which was sticking to his left arm. She pulled it away, rubbing her fingers together before spreading them. The fluid stretched into sickening strands, and began running down her fingers. She stared at it, surprised and confused before turning and looking at Theo, a brow raised.

"What is this?" She lifted her hand up so he could see it. His face contorted with confusion, but also paled slightly. It was barely noticeable, even to Crystal, but still defiantly there.

"What the?" He glanced at his arm, and began wiping it off.

"Honestly, I have no clue how this got here. Maybe one of my machines is leaking fuel."

Crystal glanced at him, as if not convinced, but she said didn't speak of it.

"Is it urgent?"

Theo thought a moment before shaking her head.

"Naw. I'm sure it's nothing."

Again, Crystal found this odd, but said nothing. Theo wasn't the type of guy to keep secrets, especially from her. They were friends after all.

"Did your experiment with the Mote of Light go well?"

"No. The compound was too volatile. It self-terminated before it could stabilize. Melted the beaker and spilled white gunk all over the place. I'm surprised I don't have any of that on me. But, I won't give up. When Veronica and Jess get back, I'll ask them for more Motes. Maybe I'll even be able to convince Jess to cash in on all the Motes she hasn't clamed."

"How many is that exactly?"

Theo shrugged. "Who knows? From what I can tell, she's never claimed a single one yet, so it's got to be a large number."

Crystal nodded. Suddenly, a third guardian appeared, walking down the hall. Crystal glanced up at them, then rose a brow. A hunter? Strange. Hunters rarely came to the Warlock section. The hunter was an Awoken, male. He had dark hair and green eyes. His armor was camouflage green, and was wearing an On the Marsh cloak. Crystal rose a brow. She didn't recognize him. Theo glanced, at him, then smirked, waving. Apparently, he knew him.

"Hey Jacob! Where you off too?"

"Heading north man. An entire town has apparently disappeared in one night, and my bro thinks that it might be paranormal related." The hunter smirked, earning a groan and eyeroll from Crystal.

"Anyway, I going to check it out. See if I can't find anything spooky, though Sasha thinks it's just going to be a Hive nest." He shrugged, then continuing down the hall. Crystal watched him go.

"So, how do you know that guy?"

Theo chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

"He ahh, he actually comes to me regularly asking about stuff he finds in the wild. Garbage mostly. Aside from that, he's worked with me in the past, including on some of my more unusual missions."

"He seems to be a little bit, off."

"Yeah. He used to spend a lot of time around Hive artifacts, but Cayde told him to lay off. Said it was, scarring his mind."

They both chuckled, and Crystal nodded.

"Yep, sounds about right. Hive stuff will do that to you."

Theo nodded, glancing back at his room door before shaking his head. As he rounded a corner, he scrapped his arm against it, cleaning the slime from his arm. He needed to be more careful.

* * *

Liara lay on the floor, her face flushed purple as she bit her lip, both from embarrassment and the pain from her tumble. Her eyes were also shut tightly, trying to ignore Amber's crotch which was right in her face after their unfortunate tumble. Swearing loudly, Amber clambered off her, her face bright red and her eyes wide. Meanwhile, Shepard stifled a laugh, shoving a small pile of weapons off of her as she stood up and tried not to laugh aloud at Liara and Amber's previous position. Walking over quickly, Shepard dropped to a knee, placing a hand on Liara's shoulder to help her up while Amber stormed off towards the cockpit. Liara's eyes opened slowly, and she glanced at a snickering Shepard.

"Don't you dare mention this to anyone, not even Garrus!"

"I can't promise anything, but I'll certainly try."

Patting her on the shoulder, Shepard helped Liara to her feet, her face still flushed purple from embarrassment.

"Hey, why do you look so embarrassed? I thought you were ok a with girls."

Her eyes widening, Liara's face turned an even darker shade of purple, earning a bark of laughter from Shepard.

"Relax Liara, I'm only kidding."

Liara seemed to calm some, but her face was still purple as she glared at Shepard. Luckily, or maybe not, the tension was broken by the reappearance of Amber, the small drone Buggy following behind.

"We have begun the landing process. Excusing any more incidents," she glared at Buggy, who back up slightly, her eye downcast, "we should be landing in about five minutes."

"Well, that's good."

"What will be there once we arrive?" Amber glanced at Liara, who was leaning against the wall, avoiding eye contact.

"Well, from what Buggies told me, it sounds like we'll be touching down in the hanger bay. Also, we are not allowed to leave right away, most likely meaning there's going to be an armed greeting party waiting for us."

Shepard sighed. "Great. Nothing like treating her as a criminal for a first impression. But at least we're heading down."

Amber glanced at her, but said nothing, turning her attention back to the door. A few minutes after the landing, the ship shuddered and the door let out a hiss. Liara held her breath as the door slowly moved down, creating a ramp to the ground. Amber walked out first, followed by a limping Liara, then by Shepard. Liara gasped quietly upon seeing the hanger bay. It was large, very large, and several strange ships rest on the ground or hung from racks in the ceiling. Several lifts were built into the floor, some with ships on them, others without. However, what caught her attention the most was the five figures waiting outside for her.

The first was someone she recognized, Tri. He stood tall, hands crossed behind his back as he seemed to smile at them. To his right was a human woman, wearing a purple outfit that resembled robes. Her skin was dark, and she lacked the hair that most humans had. She stood straight, her arms crossed as she studied Liara with the same intensity that she would use for studying prothean artifacts. She might even be a scholar herself. To the right of the woman was another robot, like Tri, including the horn like projection on his forehead. However, this robot had blue plating and eyes, unlike Tri's green. His armor was lighter, with a look that suggested mobility over protection. It was very similar to Amber's, including the hood and cape, which was currently pulled up over the bot's head. On either side of the three were bulky figures, their armor thick and intimidating, similar to Tri's. They both had weapons in their heads, and held them loosely in their direction. This must be the armed greeting party that Amber had mentioned.

Upon reaching the bottom of the ramp, the bot stepped forward, a smirk forming on his face as he spread his arms.

"Welcome to the Tower visitor. It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Cayde-6, I'm the Hunter Vanguard here in the Tower." He extended a hand towards Liara. She glanced at his hand, noticing how they all watched her. Tri had a smiled, and nodded her on, the human studied her, waiting for her response, while the two guards watched critically, ready to act if necessary. So, Liara stood up as straight as she could, smiled softly, then shook the bots hand.

"Liara T'soni, archeologist and ally of Commander Shepard."

The bot, or Cayde, rose a brow, glancing at Shepard. Suddenly, the human female appeared next to him, extending a hand of her own.

"Ikora Rey, Warlock Vanguard. It is a pleasure to meet you Miss T'soni."

Liara blushed slightly, but shook Ikora's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Tri and Amber have told me much about you guardians."

"Tri said a lot about you as well, but he never mentions you looked like this." Cayde whistled softly, earning a glare from Ikora.

"Yes, well. I apologize Miss T'soni for the armed greeting. We are an endangered people and we have enemies on every side. Even now, we still don't trust you, but I am getting the feeling that that will soon change." She smiled softly, placing a hand on Liara's shoulder. Liara smiled back, then followed the small group up a flight of stairs, and into the tower.

* * *

Mirvia crouched behind a boulder, keeping a low profile to hid from her attackers. A Fallen kill team had tracked her down in the wastes, and ambushed her when she left her hideout. Luckily, it was only a temporary hide out, more of a sleeping hole than anything else, so she wasn't heartbroken over it being compromised. They may have got the jump on her, but they were still inferior to her. Her heightened senses alerted her of them before they even fired the first shot. She'd slipped out without a scratch, and had maneuvered behind them. She glanced out from around her bolder, spotting a golden vandal with a wire rifle. Kings. She should have known. Even after ten years they still hounded her, unwilling to let the "abomination" live. But, she could care less. The Kings may boast a lot, but their skill was sub-par. Easy kills.

She slipped her newly acquired Thug blade from its sheathe, holding it tight as she slowly moved atop the boulder. The vandal had his back to her, completely unaware of her presence. Miriva slowly crept forward, body lowly and blade ready. She then leapt into the air, and drove the blade into the Vandal's shoulder, severing his arteries. The Vandal went ridged, a pained groan escaping his mouth before Miriva's weight caused him to collapse to the ground, dead. Too easy. However, her gloating was quickly cut short by shrapnel rounds streaking over her head. She quickly tore the blade out and spun around, spotting a Captain flanked by two Dregs. Tough but not impossible.

Moving quick, she leapt up, flying over the shots with unnatural grace. Landing on her hands, she quickly moved into a flip, twirling through the air to dodge shots. She landed perfectly, now only a few feet from one of the Dregs. She quickly brought the blade up, cleaving the Dregs chest wide open. The Dreg screamed in pain, scrambling to hold its chest together as ether erupted outwards, resulting in the Dreg crumbling like a dropped chain. The Captain snarled in protest while the remaining Dreg screamed in fear, running as fast as it could. Miriva snarled at the Captain, holding her blade up as he drew his own swords, then charged.

The Captain started with a double downwards swing, forcing her to roll back to avoid being cut in half. Thinking fast, Miriva reached down, grabbing a handful of dust and throwing at the Captain's face, blinding him. The Captain roared in protest, swiping blindly with his swords as his lower arms tried to clear his eyes. Using this distracting, she charged him, and slammed her fist into his throat. The Captain gagged, stumbling backwards from the blow. Miriva lunged, slamming a palm into his upper right elbow, snapping it. She followed up with a kick to the thigh, cracking it in half. The Captain groaned, collapsing to the ground just in time to catch a blade through the throat, silencing it with a gurgled groan. Blood poured from the wound, coating Miriva's arm and blade with ether. She ignored it, instead turning and running up the hill that the Dreg went up, drawing her modified wire rifle as she went. Reaching the top, she dropped to a knee, and looked through the scope.

Three Dregs, including the one from before, stood behind a wrecked car, alongside a Vandal. Aiming fast, she fired off three shots in rapid succession, her modified rifle lacking the charge time, at the expense of less penetrating power. Two Dregs lost their heads in a burst of ether and the third lost a leg, screaming in pain. The Vandal dove for cover, leaving the last Dreg flailing on the ground. Peaking its head back out, the Vandal quickly scanned the area, but saw no sign of hostiles. With a snarl, it raised its rifle and silenced the screaming Dreg with a shot to the head. Silence returned to the land, the wind whistling softly, unnerving the Vandal. A low growl sounded from behind him, causing him to slowly turn and face its source. Miriva's green eyes and exposed teeth greeted him, followed by a blade punching through his skull, ending his life.

Yanking the blade out, Miriva ran her fingers along the edge cleaning off the ether. Dropping to a knee, she quickly searched the body for valuables. Returning to the Captain, she pulled out shock cores and rations along with something else. She rose a brow, lifting a small metal tube up so she could look at it. It was about four inches long, and had a blue ring surrounding a metal cap on one end. Small engravings of the Fallen's language covered its surface.

- _Critical Message- High Rank Devils only._

She turned the tube around in her hand. This wasn't a King's message, it was a Devils. Must have been stolen by the real messenger. She rose a thumb, and pressed down on the top, causing the tube to shudder slightly before it hissed, and the top popped up, unlocking. Slowly, she pulled the top up, sliding it open and revealing a sheet of red, folded metal. The metal unraveled, revealing more writing engraved in the metal.

" _Findings reveal positive. Presence of major Hive activity in the Southern region. Intelligence suggests infighting between two factions. Appearance of new fire based Hive most unsettling, shows that a new sect has risen, one that opposes Blood of Oryx. If new Hive are bold enough to oppose the god of the Hive, who knows the power they could obtain. Must contact House Dust, ask for information regarding new Hive. House of Exile might prove useful if threat is great. Consider contact of both. Signing out._

Miriva's eyes widened. A Fallen house that has information on the Hive. The knowledge she could gain. She stood, pocketing the tube. She needed to locate a Devil's lair. Immediately.

* * *

Shepard stood by the door, watching as her friend spoke with the Warlock Vanguard. She herself had never spoken with the woman, but from what she could see and what she had heard, she sounded like a decent person. The type that Liara was no doubt having a blast speaking with, and if her smiles said anything, she was correct. She hadn't seen her this happy since they discovered that Prothean Beacon buried under a Batarian prison, and it brought a smile to Shepard's face.

"Well, it seems that their getting along pretty well."

She turned, facing and approaching Cayde, the Hunter Vanguard. He smirked at her, his mouth faintly glowing orange as he stood next to her, glancing into the window then back at Shepard.

"So. You're the Shepard that Tri's been talking about." He glanced her over.

"You're not as much of a butch as your description makes you out to be."

She blinked, caught off guard by the bluntness.

"Ahh. Thanks. You're not as big of a spark plug as Amber says you are."

Cayde snorted, chuckling.

"Yeah. Amber likes to exaggerate and tell stories. Part of her charm."

"Charming. That's exactly what Amber is.

They stood in silence for a moment, watching as Liara used her hands to speak to Ikora, a large smirk on her face. Cayde then turned back to Shepard.

"Speaking of stories, care to explain how a guardian such as yourself came to meet and befriend a new species. I know I'm not the Titan Vanguard, but still, I'm curious."

Shepard's eyes widened, and her face paled. Her mind scrambled for a response. Slowly, one formed in her mind, so she spoke.

"I… I uhmmm." She sighed, rubbing her head.

"I can't lie. I'm not from around here. I'm from and alternate time your Light and Darkness never existed. There, humanity is thriving. We have allies, one of them being Liara's species the Asari. She, along with someone else, came here through unknown means."

She glanced at Cayde, who stared at her with wide eyes, a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Uh, well then. That might be one of the strangest things I've ever heard. But, considering what I've seen in the wilds, I'm willing to accept it. Also, I'm guessing that because of that story you're not actually a guardian?"

Shepard simply stared at him, saying nothing.

"Well, Tri speaks highly of you. And he's a close friend of mine so, I'll keep this quiet."

Shepard stared in stunned silences, earning a chuckle from Cayde.

"Don't look at me that way. You make me feel like I insulted your mother or something."

Shaking her head, Shepard turned and faced the window again, letting her mind relax some.

"Thank you Cayde."

"No trouble at all, just don't tell Zavala that stuff. He's less understanding then me."

She nodded slowly, making sure to keep that in mind.

* * *

Jacobs sprinted between the trees, dodging searing bolts of energy that flew over his head. He spun, firing off three shots into the dark, hoping to hit something. He was rewarded by a high-pitched scream of pain, echoing from the shadows behind. However, he didn't have time to celebrate. He immediately turned back around and ran, hoping to gain more distance between him and them.

How long he ran, he couldn't tell. Long enough for him to run out of rifle ammo, leaving him with only his fusion rifle. A bolt struck his leg, causing him to scream in pain, his shields shattering as the bolt burned through his armor, searing his flesh. He dropped to the ground, cursing loudly from the impact. He glanced down at his leg, horror rising in his chest as he saw the open wound, blood oozing from the cracked armor. The ground crunched nearby loudly, causing him to flatten himself out on the ground. He stared from underneath the log as clawed feet slowly walked by, stalking him. Searching for him.

He watched as the beast slowly left his line of sight, the crunching quieting, but never leaving. Slowly, he lifted his hand, his ghost appearing within it.

"Tell the Vanguard that the Delta quadrant of Mexico is compromised. Heavy enemy activity. Unknown hostiles of extreme danger are amassing… "

Jacob screamed as the clawed foot slammed onto his hand, shattering his hand and his ghost with a puff of light and a sickening crunch. He stared up at his attacker's face, its glowing eyes glaring down at him, its face emotionless and blank. Acting fast, he pulled his knife from its sheathe, driving it into the creature's ankle and twisting, resulting in it snapping, dropping the beast to the ground. Releasing his knife as it fell, he quickly drew his fusion rifle and fired it, causing the beast to vaporize into a blue mist. With a groan, Jacob stood back up, staring at his shattered and bleeding hand. Without warning, a sharp pain shot through his spine as a blade chained blade erupted through his shoulder. Immediately after, he was dragged backwards across the ground, back into the dark. Jacob screamed and groaned as he collided with trees and rocks, before finally smashing into a large tree. He nearly blackened out, his head ringing from the impact. Slowly, he looked up, and spotted another attacker, glaring down at him, its eyes glowing red. Slowly, the blank face leaned forward, staring into his soul.

"Powerful Guardian. Strong light and will. You are a prime specimen. You will do nicely."

The beast swung a fist, and Jacob knew no more.

* * *

 **Authors Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. We finally get another sneak peek at the enemy. Anyway, I hope that the interactions were suitable, and that my characters are still enjoyable. Can't guarantee the speed of the next release. I start collage next week, and I doubt I'll have tons of time. However, I will never give up this story. I have it all planned out, and I plan on sharing it. Please review and theorize. Tell me what you think will happen or what has happened. I hope to hear from you guys. Until next time. ZOMAN OUT!**


	8. Unexpected Power

Shepard stood facing a shirtless Tri while he spoke with her. Why? Well, after about ten minutes of watching Liara talk with Ikora, she was officially bored out of her mind. Luckily, Tri had approached her and asked if she wanted to spar with him in order to learn her skills. She agreed. So, her she was, facing off against a war robot in preparation of fighting him.

She was barefoot, wearing a black tank top and sparring pants, padded for protection yet form fitting for agility. Tri likewise wore sparring pants, but went without the shirt, his hands behind his back, allowing Shepard to get a clear look at his chest. Large armored plates covered his body, creating a shape similar to a human's body. His joints however, were uncovered, instead consisting of a material resembling synthetic muscles. His feet, which were also uncovered, had the look of an armored foot. However, instead of having five toes, he had one large movable plate in place of his four toes, leaving his large toe separate. Color wise, he was mostly green, with orange strips running down his chest and arms. Shepard found it odd that despite his colors being orange and green, his armor was blue and gold. She'd have to ask him about that later.

"All guardians are weapons, chosen by the light to defend what is left of us. However, we, the Titans, are the Knights of the Light. Unbreakable shields and swords that shatter our foes with unstoppable strength, a skill that the other guardians lack. Titans can make use of the most powerful weapon of all. Ourselves. To be a titan means that everything about us is a weapon. Our fists, our feet, and our head, all weapons to be wielded against the darkness. Are you strong enough to become a weapon yourself?"

Shepard nodded, earning a smirk from Tri.

"Then attack me. Put me on the ground."

Shepard took a step back, raising her fists in front of her into a fighting stance. Tri kept his hands behind his back, unmoving. He then tilted his head to the side slowly, causing the material under his neck plates to grind together before popping loudly. A taunt. With a roar, Shepard charged him.

Shepard swung her fist, aiming to punch him in the side, but Tri shifted, blocking the blow with his hand. Shepard responded with a second swing at his head, forcing Tri to step back to avoid the blow. She kept swinging, pushing him back with her blows, forcing him to block on the move. Finally, Tri took a swing of his own, an upwards strike at Shepard's ribs. She blocked it, grunting from the impact of his metal fist. She could tell he was holding back, and a good thing too, he could kill her with a single blow if he wanted to. However, she was also holding back. She had yet to show off her biotic power to anyone, and she planned to keep it that way, for a while.

They continued exchanging blows, moving across the floor in a deadly dance of strikes and strides. Neither one gaining the advantage, but both not giving up. The movement stopped when Tri swung his arm downwards and Shepard blocking it with crossed arms, stopping his arm in its tracks. Acting fast, Shepard dropped to her knees, rolled to the side, then kicked upwards into Tri's chest. A dull pain shot up her foot, but she ignored it, instead feeling pleased that a strike had connected. Tri stumbled backwards but remained standing, smirking at her as he raised his hands to issue a pause in the fight.

"Good. Very good. Quick thinking and precise attacks. However, you are predicable. You are not as strong as I am, and you will find many foes that are also stronger then you. You must find a way around this. Unorthodox attacks. This is where a Guardians Light becomes effective. Unfortunately, I don't believe you have the power to wield light, so until then, you will have to try something else." He stood for a moment, allowing Shepard to stand back up before he charged her, raising a crackling blue fist.

Shepard leapt backwards, avoiding the blow as it slammed into the ground, a small eruption of Arc energy sparking from the impact point. She knew he was not planning to hit her, but it still caught her off guard. She began circling him, glaring into his eyes. He stared back. Two sets of green eyes glaring, unblinking. Then, Shepard moved. Her biotics flared, her arms glowing blue as she used them to sprint forward at an incredible speed. She then slammed her fist into Tri's chest, releasing a biotic blast, strong enough to knock him back, but not to do major damage.

The force of the blast threw Tri backwards, resulting in him skidding across the ground before he stopped himself, and then stood. However, Shepard did not give him time to recover. She charged him again, leaping into the air, her hands lighting up as she prepared a biotic nova. Tri noticed the move, and in shock, mistook it for a Fist of Havoc. His eyes widened, and he quickly dove to the side, barely dodging it. Shepard's hands struck the ground, and her Nova blasted outwards, knocking Tri back onto the ground. He quickly got to his feet and was upon Shepard before she could fully recover. He punched her in the ribs, making sure not to damage her, but the blow would still bruise. Shepard groaned slightly, but quickly retaliated with a swing of her own, her biotics greatly increasing its speed, forcing Tri to exert himself more. They continued exchanging blows, but this time, several connected. Unfortunately, bruises were forming on Shepard, and though her biotics lessened the impact to her hands, they were beginning to ache from punching metal. An unfair fight, definitely, but she was enjoying it so she would not complain.

Shepard kneed Tri in the chest twice, knocking him backwards and earning her some much-needed breathing room. She then leapt into the air, her foot swinging round so that her heel would connect with his head. The move was a typical one, an attack that would put even someone as robust as Tri on the ground if not out of commission. However, she had not counted on Tri's speed. Reacting quickly, he grabbed her foot out of the air and then threw her over his shoulder, slamming her into the ground and knocking the wind out of her. He then stepped forward, placing foot on her gut as he held her down, stretching her leg up. While the move did not break her leg, it did stretch it to the point of pain. Knowing that she had been defeated, she quickly tapped his ankle, yielding. Tri released her leg, dropping down to sit next to her. With her biotics dying down and allowing the pain and exhaustion to return, Shepard remained on the floor, trying to regain her breath.

Tri glanced at her, and began to chuckle. Though he wasn't out of breath, his voice held a slight amount of strain, meaning that perhaps she had done some damage to him.

"I am impressed. Not many non-Exo titans can last that long against an Exo titan. But how? How did you do that?"

She glanced up at him lazily, ignoring the pain spreading from her bruised muscles.

"Do what?"

"That! You seemed to gain power of some kind. It wasn't Light based. Spark's says that your Light level is too weak to wield, yet you still seemed to use energy as a weapon. How?"

Realization spread on Shepard's face, and she laid her head back down, chuckling softly.

"Those were my biotics. Technology from my universe. I apologize for not mentioning them before. Wanted to surprise you once I was able to use them again."

"So that wasn't Light based?'

"No. Biotics are the manipulation of Mass Effect fields. It's not terribly uncommon where I come from. In fact, Liara can even use them, better than I can actually. They give us an edge in combat, or in Liara's case, makes her a force to be reckoned with."

Tri's eyes seemed wide in astonishment as he nodded.

"Fascinating. It like you've discovered an artificial way to wield Light. Truly astounding. If we had that kind of tech, anyone could be a guardian."

"Well it's not purely artificial. There are biological requirements as well, but I won't go into them."

Tri nodded and then rose to his feet, extending a hand towards Shepard. She accepted it, groaning slightly from her sore muscles. Not again. Tri (gently) patted her on the back, leading her to the door.

"I'm impressed Shep. It would seem that I no longer need to worry about your lack of Light effecting your combat ability." His eyes seemed to dim slightly, and his voice took on a more serious tone. "However, it does mean that if you're killed, my ghost won't be able to resurrect you."

"Well, I've fought for many years and I haven't died yet." The comment earned a chuckle from Tri.

"I dig your confidence, but as a guardian, the risk of death is much higher than most soldiers. But, I will have Sparks look into it. Perhaps he can find a solution."

"I guess I'll just try not to die till then." They both laughed at this.

"Come on. Let's get your muscles fixed up. Then we can see if your friend Liara is done with her meeting."

* * *

"I want her to be under your supervision at all times. I know this will put a speed bump in your research, but it's only temporary. I trust you will be alright with this."

Crystal nodded, earning a soft smile from Ikora.

"Well. I will leave you then. May the Traveler's Light guide."

She bowed slightly, then exited the room, leaving Crystal alone with an alien in the adjoining room. But it was a friendly alien, from what she could get from Ikora. No doubt that the woman was keeping some secrets about the alien to herself, but Crystal didn't worry about it. She knew that if Ikora thought it was important for her to know, she would have told her. With a sign, she turned and entered the question room. She was greeted with the sight of the alien sitting at the table, a smile on her face. Crystal held in a gasp. She had heard that the alien was attractive, but she wasn't expecting this. She strode over to her, extending a hand.

"My name is Crystal. I'm here to take you to your sleeping quarters."

The alien nodded, taking Crystal's hand as she stood.

"Liara. It's nice to meet you Crystal."

She nodded, then turned, leading Liara out the door then down the hall.

"So, were will I be staying?"

"With me actually. Ikora wants me to keep an eye on you since she trusts me and since I'm a member of Tri's squad, the guardians who brought you in."

"Oh. You're with Tri and Amber? I was unaware that they had more members within their team."

Crystal shrugged.

"Yeah. I apologize for not being there for your rescue. I was busy researching and didn't feel like jumping into a Fallen nest."

Liara chuckled some.

"Yeah. I won't lie. It wasn't pleasant. You wouldn't want to be there."

They walked for a moment in silence before Crystal glanced back at Liara.

"So, you're a doctor?"

"Well, I'm actually an archaeologist. So technically yes, but actually no."

"An archaeologist? Wow. Not many of those left around here."

"Then what is your profession. I'm guessing you're a Guardian, but it seems like there are different types of Guardians."

"You'd be correct. The term Guardian is mostly an umbrella term referring to the different types of warriors of the Light. We guard the light, hence the name guardians."

Crystal stopped outside of her room door, and fished out her key card. With a quick swipe, the door unlocked, and she pushed it open. Hearing a gasp from behind, Crystal glanced back, spotting Liara with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, bringing a smile to Crystal's face.

"Yeah. It's a bit much. I apologize for the mess." Liara walked round the room, admiring the many artifacts, books, and tablets that decorated Crystals living quarters. The only mess was a large stack of books and holo-tablets next to a reading chair. The pile had fallen over, resulting in them all scattering across the floor. Liara approached a tabled covered in old, dust books. She picked one up, gently, running her hand over the leather cover. A faint purple glow emanated from the cover as her hand passed over it, and her fingers tingled as if touched by energy. Liara's eyes widened, and Crystal approached her.

"Careful with that. It's a first edition Void Walkers guide. A rare find these days."

Liara ran her hand over the cover again, enjoying the tingle of power touching her fingers. She then glanced back at Crystal, a question look on her face.

"What's a Void Walker?"

Crystal chuckles slightly before gesturing to herself.

"Well, I am, for starters. Void Walkers are a class of Warlock. We specialize in using Void Light in combat, wielding it how we see fit."

She held up her hand to demonstrate, a small flicker of purple energy forming between them. Liara stared at it in fasciation, transfixed on the small flicker of energy. Crystal twirled it between her fingers a couple of times before she closed her fist, snuffing it out.

"Wow. That's quite incredible. It's almost like your wielding biotics."

Crystal frowned, not understanding what she meant.

"Biotics? What are those?"

"It the manipulation of mass effect fields within our bodies. Several people within my world are capable of using it. In fact, my entire species, the Asari, is able to use it at birth, but it takes training to use it effectively."

Crystal simply stared at her in astonishment. Liara then chuckled softly, and lifted a hand.

"I would demonstrate, but I'm sure that you don't want me breaking anything in here."

Crystal chuckled in response.

"Yeah, that would probably be bad."

The two women shared a small laugh, but it didn't last long before the door suddenly opened with a slight hiss, and in walked Amber. Crystal glanced up at her, a brow raised. What was she doing here? She held in a groan, and tried to be polite.

"Amber. What are you doing here?" Amber frowned, her face showing mock hurt.

"What. It's a crime for a hunter to visit her warlock team member." Crystal groaned internally. She was her to be thorn. No question.

"No, but with you, it's never just a normal visit." She rolled her eyes, and signed, placing a hand on her hip.

"Well, you're actually correct this time. I came by because I wanted to see how Lara here is taking having to live with someone as mind numbing as you." This earned Amber a glare from the warlock and a sigh from the alien.

"No, I find Crystal here to be an incredibly interesting and learned person. Also, my name is Liara, not Lara."

"Eh, potato, patato. Only thing that matters is that you're both nerds." Amber plops herself down on the couch and props her feet up on the table, knocking over a small stack of books in the process. Crystal took a heavy breath through her nostrils, earning her a smirk from Amber at the expense of her frustration.

"You are am insufferable hunter Amber. You know that?"

"Yes, but I'm your insufferable hunter." She smirked wider, and Crystal groaned.

* * *

Liara watched, baffled that these two were even teammates, let alone friends. Then again, she had in the past had similar thoughts about Garrus, but those left in time. Perhaps it was similar to this, though evidence said otherwise. These guardians were strange. While definitely warriors, she had seen the much during her rescue, at least from Tri and Amber, but they didn't really act like warriors. Especially not this Amber character. As she thought, she realized that the only one who acted like a warrior at all had been Tri, while Crystal, and her boss Ikora, acted like scientists, and Amber acted like an obnoxious drifter. Perhaps it had to do with them being different classes of Guardians. She'd need to ask about this later. A sudden noise caused Liara to turn, spotting two more figures entering the room. The first was the titan Tri.

Tri was an agreeable person, and between him and Amber, she definitely liked him more. He was a strong, level headed warrior who looked after her team. He appeared to be a bit of a glory hound, something the seemed to get him in arguments with Amber. But, unlike Crystal, Tri seemed to regard Amber with a sister like view, annoyed by her, and often fighting with her, but still caring for her. Amusingly, he got incredibly awkward when speaking about women and relationships, something that brought great amusement to Liara. If she had to guess, he acted this way because he was an Exo, a machine, and he didn't know how a relationship would work. Perhaps she'd question him about it. At the very least, it would be amusing.

Following Tri was one of Liara's closest friends, Jane Shepard. The women was similar to Tri in some respects; a skilled warrior who looked out for the wellbeing of innocents and her teammates. However, she was humble, and didn't brag about the attention that she often gained. She seemed to share the same hint of smartassness that Tri possessed, as well as a shared dedication to helping others. Honestly, it surprised Liara how similar they were, but they still had their differences. From the looks of them now, they seemed to be getting along, bringing a smile to Liara's face.

As they came in, they gained the attention of both the guardians already present, showing their unique reactions to both. Crystal seemed slightly surprised, but glad that they had arrived. Amber however, seemed a tad indifferent, though one of her eyebrows raised, probably because she was wondering why they were here. Tri himself smiled upon entering, or at least as close to smiling one could get to with multiple metal plates for a face.

"Ahh, Liara. I hope that you and Crystal are getting along well. From what I can see I'd say yes."

Liara nodded, a smile on her face.

"Yes. I think I'm going to enjoy it here. Don't you agree Shepard?"

Liara was pleased to see her friend smile at her, her green eyes bright.

"Yes. I do agree. Though things are a little strange here."

Amber snorted loudly, gaining everyone's attention.

"Yeah, and a metal bird man and a race of women who can have kids with any species they want isn't weird."

Liara's face went purple as she realized Amber was talking about her, and a quick glance at Shepard showed she was blushing as well. Crystal glanced between them, confusion on her face, while Tri seemed shocked or even slightly embarrassed. No doubt he'd be blushing as well if he was capable of it. His face then hardened, a harsh stare forming as he glared at Amber, his artificial face making it much more terrifying.

"Amber. Out!" He gestured to the door, and she sat up, anger and confusion on her face.

"What did I do? I'm just saying…"

"Now is not the time for your mouth, so please leave and spare us from it." He calmed some.

"Just for the moment. Please."

Amber sighed, but stood, pushing her way past him and out the door. Shepard watched her go, the blush leaving her face as she sighed.

"Is she always like that?" Tri shook his head, rubbing his neck.

"Sometimes. And I might have been harsh back there, but things have just been stressful recently. She pushed me over the edge."

They stood in silence, Liara still surprised that Amber would say that now. Sure she had shared that info with her, but she never expected her to say it so blatantly and rudely. It was rather uncalled for. The silence was then broken by an excited Crystal.

"Oh Tri. You won't believe it, but Liara has told me how she has powers similar to a Warlock."

Tri glanced at Liara, then back at Crystal, a brow raised.

"Oh, and how is that?"

The awoken glanced at Liara, smiling brightly. With a shrug, Liara held up a hand, flaring her biotics. A soft indigo glow lit up her arm, casting a faint glow on the surrounding area. Tri's eyes widened and Shepard smirked at him. The reaction perplexed Liara. It wasn't total shock on his face, but more realization. Then it hit her. Shepard must have showed off her biotics and told him about her own. Now he was finally seeing it in person. Shepard nudged his shoulder, a sense of snarkiness in her voice.

"See, what did I tell you."

Crystal's eyes widened at the comment, and she glanced at Tri, pointing a finger.

"Wait, you knew about this? And you didn't tell me?!" Tri held up his hands in surrender.

"Woah. Calm down Crystal. I only just found out. As a matter of fact, that was part of the reason I was coming here at all. Shepard here has biotics too. Her biotics give her powers similar to a titan."

Liara didn't think it was possible, but Crystal's eyes got even wider, causing Shepard to laugh loudly.

"Wow. I guess the biotics are pretty impressive for your guys, especially since their based off of technology while yours is space magic."

"Hey. It's Light not spa…. Ahh what's the point, I guess it kind of is space magic."

Crystal gasped slightly, surprised by Tri's comment.

"Of course, you, an Exo titan, would think that. The only thing you dome heads think with is your fists."

Tri chuckled softly, but shrugged.

"As said as it seems, I can't completely deny that statement."

Shepard patted him on the shoulder, then moved forward crossing her arms, a smile on her face.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you want all the information that you can get. Am I right?"

Crystal almost seemed to jump out of her skin with excitement.

"Oh yes! Just, give me a sec to grab my notebook."

Crystal quickly ran out of the room, and Tri glanced at Shepard, then at Liara, smirking.

"You two might want to sit down. If I know Crystal, you're going to be here awhile before she gives up on questions."

With a shrug, Shepard patted Liara on the shoulder then sat down. Liara joined her friend on the coach, excited that she'd get to have another questioning session with a fellow intellectual. Crystal came back in shortly after this, a leather-bound book in her hand, along with a pen. She sat down in her chair across from them, and opened up her book, smiling from ear to ear. With a chuckle, Tri leaned against the wall. He was probably right. It would take a while. With her usual charm, Shepard started.

"So. What is it that you want to know?"

Crystal beamed louder, pen poised over her book so she could write.

"Ok. Well first things first…"

* * *

Jaina the Awoken titan slowly advanced down the Hive corridor, her machine gun at her hip as she fired a constant stream of bullets upon the horrid abominations that charged at her. To her right, her hunter teammate Veronica fired her scout rifle, popping any Acolyte that dared peak its head out into ember. To Jaina's left, Theo the Warlock lifted his assault rifle, firing at the Knights and Thrall the rushed down the hall towards them, angered out of their minds. It hadn't been Jaina's idea to crack open a Hive nest, but Theodore had insisted that they do it before the nest became a threat. So here they were, wading through Hive sludge and fighting through the horde of angered undead aliens. So far, it had been relatively uneventful. They had found the small cave opening in the wilds, a Hive seeder ship embedded in the ground 100 yards away. From there, the descended into the blackness, the area being eerily similar to the Hive nest at the Skywatch, showing a surprisingly advanced infestation. However, it wasn't anything they couldn't handle, which brings them to now, Jaina vaporizing Hive by the dozens while her squad mates took out the rest.

Finally, the snarling stopped, shortly joined by the gun fire. The smoke and ash slowly cleared, revealing an empty corridor. Jaina sheathed her machine gun, and drew her pulse rifle, and did a quick scan of the area. She glanced at her fireteam leader, Veronica, waiting for orders. Veronica glanced around before signaling them to move on. With a nod, they all moved forward, deeper into the hell hole. The deeper they went, the more Jaina's earlier assessments about the similarities between this hole and the one at the Skywatch waned. Several runes where carved into the walls, and several chained hooks, like those in the Temple of Crota, hung from the ever-rising ceiling. Several locked doors prevented them from entering, but one route allowed them deeper in, passing giant vats of fluid along with the piles of Hive ooze. Finally, something different happened.

A loud roar cut through the silence of the cave, causing Veronica to hold up a fist, ordering a halt. Theo moved up beside her, his voice low, making it difficult to hear over the distant echoing roars.

"What do you think it is?"

Veronica was silent, her fingers fiddling with a small string of beads that hung from her belt, something that she only did when thinking. Or nervous. Her slightly metallic Exo tone showed this.

"I don't know. Almost sounds like something trapped in another summoning pit. But that's impossible. No way a hole that deep has been formed here. I think we should report this. Immediately."

Theo placed a hand on her shoulder to reassure her as he pointed down the hall the echo came from.

"Come on. We might get to see something no Guardian has ever seen before. Let's at least go down and see what it is. After that, we can high tale it back to the surface before the closest Wizard has time to hike up her dress."

The confidence in his voice was almost enough to bring a smile to Jaina's face. That was Theo. Always wishing to do the impossible. With a sigh, Veronica slowly began nodding her head.

"Alright. A quick look. But I don't want no sample taking or picture making. Got me."

Theo nodded briskly, no doubt smirking under his helmet as Veronica moved down the passageway, followed by Theo, then finally Jaina herself. The passage descended downwards, the deeper they went, the greater the temperature increased, and the louder the echoes got. Finally, they reached a massive closed door, a large padlock stretching across it. Veronica sighed, clearly relieved that they could proceed, but Jaina couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. She was curious what the sound was. However, something weird happened after this. The door shuddered loudly, the padlock glowing orange before dissolving into ash. With a groan, the door slowly slid opening, causing all three Guardians to flinch and raise their weapons. Beyond the doors was a sight equal parts terrifying and confusing.

A large room, similar to the circle of bones, stretched out before them. Mighty thorned pillars sat at the back of the room, holding down the primary item of interest. Stretched between the two pillars, like a prisoner hung up for torture, was a large Hive Knight. However, this Knight was unlike any that they had seen before. Its hide was blackened, as if burned, and fiery orange fissure snaked across its body, like cracks in the earth. Its armor was orange, but covered in caked blackened ash hiding most of the orange tint. It eyes glowed a bright orange instead of green, and a thick orange fluid seeped from its mouth. A large hole in the Knights chest seeped similar fluid, and glowed like a raging inferno laid within. Thick, bladed chains wrapped round its arms and legs, keeping it held hung spread eagle between the pillars. The knight then opened its mouth, revealing sharp blade like teeth opposed to the normal flat ones. A loud roar came from its mouth, the same they had heard before, orange fluid flying from its mouth as it roared, either in pain of fury. It pulled against its chains, ignoring the sharp barbs that dug into its flesh, spilling ash across the floor in grey piles

The three warriors stared in wonder and confusion at the sight before them. Never before had they seen a Hive like this, nor had they seen a Hive chained within one of their lairs. Veronica slowly backed up, and Jaina did the same. She couldn't place it, but something about this Knight bothered her, horribly. However, Theo took a step forward, transfixed by the beast. The creature thrashed against its chains snarling again, before suddenly stopping, its eyes resting upon Theo. It eyes seemed to lock with his, slowly drilling him as if studying a target before striking. They took another step closer, as if mystified. The silence seemed to echo through the hall, eerie and unnatural, the Knights orange eyes drilling into Theo as it stared. Then, something happened. Slowly, a sound Jaina never thought she'd hear from a Hive came from the chained Knight. Like a rising corpse, a chuckle formed in the beast throat, followed by full on laughter. Its eyes lit up with flames as it did, and a flame like aura seemed to form round it as its shoulders shuddered from the laughter, pulling on the chains with a loud grinding sound. The air grew hot, and the ground rumbled. Veronica shouted, making her voice heard above the unholy laughter.

"Theo! Get the hell out of there! We got to go."

Suddenly snapping to his senses, Theo turned and ran, joining his fellow squad mates as they left the room of the laughing maniac. Even as they scaled the cave and left the hellhole, the echoing laughter persisted. No comments were made by any of them as they left. Not as they scaled the cave, not as they waited for their ships, and not as they road back to the Tower. Not a word. For all they could think about were those orange eyes, and that laughter. Jaina knew it would haunt her till the end of her days.

* * *

Tri reclined on his chair, enjoying himself for the evening. Tri's apartment room was nothing special. Indeed, it was smaller than most rooms, but when you never ate slept or used the bathroom, you could afford a smaller dwelling. Because of this, Tri's room was just that, a single room furnished like a living room. A large couch, reinforced with metal limbs and armor weave fabric, took up most of one wall. Next to it sat an easy chair, the closest thing Tri had to a bed. A large holo-screen was opposite the couch, providing him with entertainment. Along the walls, Tri had hung many things that perked his interest, mostly weapons and pieces of armor. Guns, both Guardian and alien, hung on the walls in decorative positions, showing off their unique designs. Vex armor plating, heavily scrubbed to prevent Vex hacking, hung like shields. Hive helmets hung with these, showing off Tri's slight fascination with the two races, both equal parts deadly and mystical.

Because she wasn't technically a guardian, Tri had agreed to allow Shepard to stay at his place, at least till she could get an apartment of her own. She seemed to be enjoying herself greatly, a good thing, considering that she had been locked in a room with Crystal, answering dozens of questions, for over an hour. Now, both her and Tri were having some RnR, making use of Tri's secret passion. Gaming.

He discovered the old gaming console while on a patrol in North America. Most people would have considered it junk, but Tri took a liking to it, and brought it back to fix it up. Once completely, Sparks helped him make it compatible with his halo screen. Now, Tri could enjoy something that no one had in centuries. An old game by the name of Minecraft. He wasn't sure how old the game was, but from how pixelated the graphics were, it must have been one of the gaming pioneers. Despite this, he loved the gameplay, and nothing else could ease his mind like building in its blocky world. Plus, now with Shepard here, he got to do something he'd never done before. Multiplayer. So, here they were, two super soldiers sitting on a coach in civi clothes playing a game about building things with blocks. No regrets at all.

A knock at the door drew Tri from his gaming. He glanced at Shepard, who looked back at him, a brow raised.

"I need to get that. Try not to get me blown up while I'm gone."

Shepard smirked, flashing her white teeth.

"I'll try, but I can't make any promises tin head."

Tri chuckled, then walked to the door, leaving Shepard to continue on her own. It must be Crystal, coming back to ask some question she realized she missed. He hoped not, Shepard had had her fill of questions, and just wanted to relax. Understandable. He opened the door, and froze. It wasn't Crystal at his door, nor an exuberant Amber wishing to hang out with him. In fact, it was the last person he had ever expected to find at his door.

"The Darkness is stirring. A new evil is growing just outside our wall. And I fear we won't be able to stop."

Tri shook himself, still surprised beyond belief. What was she doing here? He'd never even heard of her leaving her station by the stairs, let along the Hall of Guardians.

"Woah. Slow down Eris. What are you doing here? I didn't even know you knew my apartment number."

Eris drilled him with her three green eyes, her hands constantly twitching round the stone she kept with her at all times. It seemed different now, glowing with a fiercer green light, and the aura around it seeming more agitated.

"Listen, there isn't much time. The Hive are fractured, war splitting them like a sword through flesh. The Cabal dig deeper, unaware of what they disturb. And the Fallen. They wield that which no one should, delving into secrets that should remain buried. Should HE discover who they hold…"

Eris's voice trailed off, her green eyes growing distant before snapping back on Tri. He may consider her a friend, and her likewise, but she still unnerved him like nothing else.

"Go to the wilds of Russia. Bring those who do not belong with you. They are the key. Find the one caught between two hated worlds and bring her back. Only she can help us a way. Find what is needed. Find her before IT comes for her, and the lost ones as well."

With that, Eris turns and moves down the hall like smoke, leaving a confused, and slightly terrified Tri in her wake.

* * *

"….what? What is.."

"Ease child. You have been asleep for a long time. But I have brought you back."

"You,.. you are…"

"Your mother. The one who will guide you and teach you."

"Wh..why?"

"Because you are Chosen. Gifted to be a beacon within the Darkness. One who will scourge the land of our foes and make way for the coming reality. You, my child. Are on of us. And we have been chosen. Come, and be welcomed."

* * *

 **AuthorsNote: Ok, this took forever to get out. I started college and that makes things difficult. BUT! Do not lose faith, these will continue to come out gradually and steadily. Due to comments on how main characters have little progression, I turned this chapters focus to them mostly, and the next shall be similar. I hope no one hates me for having Tri play Minecraft. I thought to myself, "what type of game would a super soldier want to play." Since his life is basically a FPS, I decided to go with something more relaxed, an open sandbox. I thought it was brilliant and clever, but maybe not. Also, another look at the enemy, including a unique teaser. Hmmm. Anyway, if you excuse me, I need to go sleep and contemplate school work and procrastination. Please comment and review, theorize and criticus (nicely). I want to hear what you lovely readers think. Until next time. ZOMAN, signing out!**


	9. Darkness Closes

" _I've got a bad feeling about this."_

" _Oh relax. You're always feelings nervous about these types of things."_

" _This time I'm serious. Something is wrong about this place. I mean, look at these things."_

 _Garrus jabbed one of the statues with the barrel of his Black Widow rifle, as if it might start moving on its own at any moment._

" _Looks like something out of a Cultish House."_

 _Shepard eyed the statue, and she had to admit, it was definitely unsettling. The strange, jagged form, kneeling as if in prayer, alongside at least half a dozen others, all kneeling so that they were facing the large metal ring embedded in the stone floor. Liara walked round the ring, her omni-tool alight as she scanned it, no doubt taking notes as well. Shepard tore her eyes from her teammates, glancing at the room as a whole. Opened ceiling, a red cloudy sky with lightning flashing across the clouds, but the thunder itself was distance. The walls were stone, with metal bands running across the stone, running down to connect with dark colored metal cube, half buried in the ground. Past the ring on the floor, was a small flight of steps, leading up to a pedestal, with a much larger ring set into the wall behind, and some kind of dish within the ring. The ring itself was metal, and looks almost as if it had been built from plates of metal without much thought, and yet it was precise and intentional._

 _Shepard stepped up to the ring, tilting her head as she studied it. Liara suddenly came up beside Shepard, a brow raised as she stared at the ring with Shepard. And Garrus, he had moved to study one of the cubes by the wall, kneeling down as he ran a hand over its surface._

 _Suddenly the ground rumbled, as if an earthquake was setting in. In reaction, Shepard extended an arm and grabbed Liara just as she began to fall forward, preventing her from slamming into the ground. Shepard then extended her second arm, helping herself and her friend remain balanced as the ground continued to shake. Garrus unfortunately, due to crouching, was not so lucky, and found himself sprawling on the ground as it continued to rumble beneath his feet. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, the rumbling stopped._

 _Shepard glanced around, confused. Her eyes met with Liara's and she saw fear in the doctor's eyes. Another noise then caught Shepard's attention, but this time, it wasn't coming from the ground. She turned to face the sound, and her eyes widened at what she saw._

 _The kneeling statutes, they were moving! Small slivers of light, like hairline fractures, spread across the surface, cracking the stone and causing it to shudder. Slowly, the statues began sitting upright, their shoulders and heads slowly turning to face behind them. And they were staring at Garrus._

" _Garrus! Get out of there!"_

 _Garrus slowly stood from his kneeling position, glancing up and spotting the moving statues. His eyes went wide, and he lifted his rifle defensively._

" _Spirits help me."_

 _Shepard moved to help her friend, but found herself stopped by a shield of some kind. It was invisible, until she touched it, causing white energy to form in front of her, keeping her in. She glanced down, and gasped in horror. Her and Liara stood within the large metal ring, which glowed as cuboidal walls of energy were projected from the ring. They were trapped inside. Shepard glanced back at her friend, eyes wide as she beat her fist against the shield. No! No, this couldn't be happening!_

 _She could do nothing but watching in stunned horror as the statues stood, the stone falling away to reveal darkened forms covered in armor, slowly advancing on her friend. The ground rumbled again, and a light appeared behind her, but she ignored it, instead locking eyes with her best friend, and seeing the fear in his eyes._

" _GARRUS!"_

* * *

Shepard bolted up right, panted loudly as she awoke from her dream. Slowly, she calmed down, her mind calming some, but the images wouldn't leave. That was no dream. It was a memory. She slowly lifted her hands, staring at them as they shook. Garrus was gone. Possibly injured, or worse. Those…things. They were responsible for her arrival here, and for the disappearance of Garrus. Or, were they. She couldn't tell. It was all so bizarre, and it buzzed her mind, making it difficult to think.

Throwing the blanket off of her, she sat up, placing her feet on the floor as she glanced to the side. Tri sat in his recliner chair, laying back as her rested, his eyes and other lights switched off, no doubt in a power saving mode similar to sleeping. It was strange to Shepard, seeing a machine that simulated human life so well, and yet still proudly showed off its mechanical traits. He reminded her of the Geth, in some ways, but from what she had gathered from his ghost Sparks, he functioned far differently. Unlike them, he was a single consciousness, operating on his own and fully sentient. Also, he was far kinder then any Geth she'd met before, so that was a bonus.

She shook these thoughts from her head and stood, grabbing her pants off of the nearby coffee table. Slipping them on, she strode to the other side of the room, where Tri's sink and fridge were. While he wasn't required to eat or drink, he surprisingly was still capable of doing it, and thus kept a fridge full of soda and snacks in his room. But, she wasn't feeling anything like, so she just grabbed a glass and filled it with water.

As she took a drink, she glanced out the window on the far side of the room, which gave her a clear view of the City beyond. It glowed softly, casting its light upon the bottom of the Traveler, which hung silently overhead. It was dark still. A quick glance at her activated Omni-tool confirmed it. 3:52 AM. Honestly, it didn't surprise her. She'd been having trouble sleeping these past few nights, and who could blame her. The thoughts of her dream buzzed in her mind. Garrus was still out there, and it was highly possible that he was captured, injured, or even… She refused to believe that final possibility. No. He was alive, and she would find him, even if it meant…

"You're certainly up early."

Shepard jumped from the sudden voice, and turned to face its source. She was greeted by the sight of Tri's orange shelled ghost, Sparks. The ghost spun the back half of his shell, twisting to the side slightly as he examined Shepard, bathing her in a pale blue light. She sighed, taking another sip of water before shooting him a slight glare.

"Yeah. What of it Sparky?"

The ghost's eye narrowed, as if he didn't approve of the nickname. This earned him a chuckle from Shepard, much to his grief.

"Your bio-scan shows that you are mentally troubled, and your body is suffering from the effects of fatigue. If I had to guess, I would say that you have been having difficulty sleeping as of late. Correct?"

Shepard sighed, glancing to the side to avoid the ghost's gaze. She didn't like the idea of Sparks reading her so easily just anytime he wanted too. But, perhaps this was something that needed to be talked about after all. She finally glanced back at the ghost locking eyes with him.

"So what, I'm sure lots of guardians have trouble sleeping."

"With good reason, yes. And the only reason I can think of for you is that you have a friend who is still missing. Correct?"

Shepard froze, surprised the Sparks had figured out that kind of info. She sighed, grinding her teeth some before answering.

"Fine. You're right. I'm worried about my friend Garrus. I'm….having dreams about what has happened to him."

Sparks spun his shell slowly, then moved forward, staring at her before stopping. He was closer now, but still respected her space.

"What's happened to him, if you don't mind me asking?"

She was silent, thinking. She wasn't one to open up like this to most people, but then again, she trusted Sparks, and wouldn't lie to someone she trusted.

"Visions about… how we arrived here. I'm still confused about exactly what happened. Most of the details are still… fuzzy. I can't remember all of it. But what I can remember is a, stone room, with a metal ring placed in the floor and a larger one on the back wall. Stone statues, kneeling if in prayer, face the ring. Then, the ground rumbles, the statues come alive. A flash of light… and, and I awake in the wastes of Russia."

"Sounds like the Vex to me."

Shepard glanced at Sparks, who simply stared back, as if the information was just common trivia. She then looked away again, hardening her face.

"They took Garrus. He was separated from us, and those… statues. I remember them moving towards him. I fear he may be injured or captured."

"If the Vex took your friend. I'm afraid that he's already dead. Vex don't take prisoners."

That bit of information struck Shepard like a Krogan sucker punch. Dead? No. Not possible. That couldn't be true.

"I refuse to believe it. Until I see proof, I'm going to believe that he's still alive. And, that he can be found."

The ghost sighed, a strangely human gesture that surprised Shepard.

"It is foolish to believe that, but if it makes you feel better, I won't stop you."

Sparks dipped himself in a gesture mimicking a dipped head, then turned, flying towards Tri before vanishing in a flash of light. Shepard watching him leave, then turned her eyes to the window again, gazing out at the shining city. Her friend was out there. She could feel it. He was alive, somehow. And she would find him.

* * *

 _A cave, deep beneath the earth, buried far from prying eyes. Large stalactites hung from the ceiling, and massive stalagmites jutted up from the ground, together forming the appearance of a vast, hungry maw. The floor was polished, coated in stone slabs, converting the area into some sort of alter. A large Hive Crystal, similar to Crota's soul stone, hovered on a pedestal, green energy holding it up by magic. Three pale eyes stared out from the crystal, yet they weren't harsh. They were more slit shaped, and gazed as if in sorrow. Suddenly, as if they sensed a presence, they flashed, the whole room buzzing as images appeared on its surface._

 _Fallen, draped in cloaks, their faces covered by hoods and wraps, held the chains of captive Hive, which snarled and fought against their captures. One Fallen, his form thin yet imposing, stood above the rest. Massive spike jutted out from his back, a large cane, covered in skulls in his hand. He glared at the chained Hive with burning green eyes, the rest of his face hidden in shadow. The Crystal appeared again, buzzing and humming while several Fallen, dressed in ornate robes knelt before it, chanting and siphoning beams of green energy from the Crystal. The eye within shuddered, as if in pain._

 _The image changed to space, where a titanic Hive vessel lay in orbit, its hull pitted with breaches, belching out smoke and fire. Within, Hive fought against Hive. Flesh against Bone. Fire against Blood. Oryx over saw it all, blackened streaks, like tears, running down his face as he watched his children tear each other apart._

 _The fabric of space suddenly shattered, red tendrils of energy shattering empty space like a cracked window. Walls and floors distorted and warped as snarls filled the air. Clawed hands erupted from the fractures of space-time, grappling at everything around them. They burst from the walls, from the ground, from the air itself, waving hungrily before grabbing Guardians, civilians, Fallen, Hive, Vex, and Cabal, anything that they could. The grabbed their screaming victims and dragged them back through the wounds of space-time, which all closed with crashes of thunder and ground shaking laughter._

Eris's head shot up, a short gasp escaping her lips as she jerked herself from her dreams. She groaned, lifting a hand to rub her aching temples. This was the third vision in the past two days. Even for someone like her, this was unusual. Her three eyes opened again, unblocked due to the removal of her head wraps hours before. However, this had led to unfortunate consequences. Without her wrappings, the bioplasmic ooze that dripped from her grafted Hive eye-plate like constant blackened tears had dripped onto the documents below, soiling them as she slept. She growled softly to herself for the blunder, then began gathering the blackened documents. At least nothing important had been ruined.

"Burning the late-night hours again Eris?"

She froze, then slowly spun in her chair to face the owner of the voice, Ikora Rey. The Warlock Vanguard was leaning against the door frame, her arms crossed. She was dressed in nighttime robe, most likely because Eris had either waken her, or she had gotten up for some other reason. Ever since Eris had moved in with Ikora due to not having anywhere else to sleep, the woman always tried to look out for her well being, much to Eris's grief. Reaching up a hand, Eris brushed some of her thin, pale black hair out of her face. She didn't like it when it was soiled by her oozing face.

"I had another vision; the wretched things are keeping me from sleep."

Eris turned, and glared at her Hive orb, which rested upon its pedestal on her desk. It was buzzing and flaring unnaturally again, something that had become normal as of late. A sigh broke the silence, and Eris turned to face Ikora, who now stood just behind her.

"Do you mind sharing what these visions are about? I might be able to provide some helpful information."

Eris muttered under her breath. "Unlikely."

Ikora rested a hand on Eris's shoulder, grabbing her attention.

"Eris. You can trust me. I am a friend after all."

The dark guardian glanced over her shoulder at Ikora. She was right. Since her arrival, Ikora was one of the first to befriend her. She was also one of the only ones who understood her. True, she didn't know everything, but it was close enough. With a sigh, she gave in.

"I see… Fallen. Dressed in robes, with eyes glowing green. They chained up Hive, and seem to worship their artifacts. I see Hive fighting Hive, a rift between Oryx and his follower that has become a civil war that threatens to consume everything. And… a presence, one unlike anything we have fought before. It lies just beyond, and its minions tear through the fabric of reality to abduct its victims. But not just guardians or civilians. Every living thing is taken, dragged from this world into another. I… I have never seen something that makes my blood run as cold as this does."

Eris glanced up at Ikora, and saw a troubled look on the woman's face. She was chewing on her lip, deep in thought. It was a face Eris had seen her make many times before.

"Well, parts of this vision do line up with recordings and reports from the field. The Hive do seem to be engaged in some kind of civil war, tearing at each other with reckless abandon. The Fallen you've seen also coincide with some reports I've heard from my Hidden. Fallen dressed in robes, their eyes glowing green, capturing Hive and hauling them away. But this presence, I'm not sure I know what that is. Was there anything else?"

"There was… a Hive Crystal. Vast and powerful, much like the one that held Crota's soul on the moon. It seemed to be calling out to me, showing me these visions too…"

Eris stopped, a realization coming to her. The Hive fought a brutal civil war. Oryx mourns for the loss of his son, but something more. Fallen who worship the Hive hid in the dark. A Crystal, containing the soul of a Hive. A powerful Hive. She stood, the information falling together. The abrupt action startled Ikora, causing her to step back some.

"I need to leave. Something I have to see for myself."

Eris snatched up her orb before quickly moving to the back of the room where she began applying her head wrappings and helmet. She was quickly followed by Ikora.

"No. No way are you leaving Eris. You haven't left since…"

"Since I came here. I'm aware. But I must do this. It's why I'm having these visions. I think I know why our enemy is behaving strangely."

"But to put yourself in danger over a hunch. We need you Eris. We can form a squad to investigate for you. They can…"

"No. I must do this myself. I shall not rest till it is done."

With that, Eris turned, and strode out of the room without another word.

* * *

"So, where are we going again Tri?"

Tri glanced over his shoulder at Shepard, he was standing just behind him in full gear, though her helmet was off.

"Eastern Russia. We're going to search the area for Hive and Fallen presence, engage if necessary, and report back to the Vanguard."

"So, a scouting mission that can turn into a shootout if we wish?"

"Basically, yeah."

"Wonderful."

Tri chuckled at the woman's sarcasm before turning back to the ship's controls, preparing it for their departure. With that, Shepard pushed herself off of the wall, then strode back to the main room. There, she found Crystal outfitting Liara in Warlock gear, preparing her for ground combat. It had been a bit difficult convincing Ikora to allow Liara to depart, but with some proper coaxing, she granted permission.

Glancing over her friend, Shepard couldn't help but smirk. The armor that Crystal had put her in was a dull silver color, with a relatively simple design, armored plates beneath a cloth cloak. Blue bands lined the cloth, as well as formed decorations, adding some color to the grey. However, if she knew Liara, she knew that the Asari would be annoyed by the coloration of the armor. But, she'd get over it. Finally finished, the Awoken patted Liara on the back with a smile.

"There you go. All ready for a Fallen raid. How do you feel?"

Liara lifted a hand, examining her gauntlet with a frown, confirming Shepard's assumption.

"To be honest. Bland. Is this coloration really all you have?"

Crystal chuckled and nodded slowly.

"Unfortunately yes. I don't have any shades on me, and that was the only spare armor I had that would be suitable for this mission. I'm sorry, but you will just have to make due."

Liara huffed in the typical fashion that she did, earning her a chuckle from Shepard.

"Don't be so dramatic Liara, it could be a lot worse. Hell, I've seen you fight wearing far less protective gear than that."

She glared at Shepard, then sighed, turning back to Crystal, who chuckled before patting her shoulder.

"You'll do fine. Just remember to tap the black box for your hand cannon ammo and the green one for your sidearm. Don't want to get those mixed up."

Nodding slowly, Liara took out a hand cannon, the polished orange surface shining slightly in the low light. She frowned before putting it away. If Shepard had to guess, she wasn't happy with its size and weight.

The door then opened behind them, causing all the women to turn and glance at the entryway as Tri stepped in.

"Alright ladies. We are nearly there. Is our new companion ready for patrol duty Crystal?"

"Indeed she is. As ready as she can get without a Ghost that is."

"Well, we unfortunately can't help with that at the moment. Perhaps when we get back we can speak to Zavala about getting you two ghosts."

"Oh joy. I might get my very own Sparky to keep me company. Just what I always wanted."

At the mention of his name, the Ghost materialized above Tri's shoulder, glaring at Shepard.

"You know. I actually thought that with Amber gone I would be spared from such insults. But it appears that I was wrong."

She laughed at this, slightly proud that he was comparing her to the eccentric Hunter. While she was annoying, Shepard was starting to enjoy her company.

"That reminds me, where is Amber? I would think she'd love an outing like this. Seems her style."

"And you'd be correct, but she is currently otherwise occupied. Cayde had a secret mission for her to do, real tight lipped. Whatever it is, it was urgent, so she couldn't be with us."

"Approaching the drop point Tri."

"Right."

He turned, glancing at the women as his helmet appeared under his arm.

"Alright. We'll be coming in hard a fast. To prevent the Kings from picking up any evidence of us being here, we need to do a running drop off with our Sparrows. Liara. You're with Crystal, stick with her and you'll be fine. Shepard. You're with me."

They all nodded, then slipped their helmets on, Crystal stepping up to stand next to Tri. Shepard stood behind him, and even placed a hand on his shoulder. Liara did the same with Crystal. A few more minutes passed, then the world went white as the transmatt initiated. When the light faded, Shepard found herself sitting on the back of Tri's sparrow, her hands on his shoulder to brace herself as they fell the last 10 ft. Just as the ship passed by overhead, the sparrows revved up, their anti-gravity catching their fall and sending them off. Glancing over, Shepard spotted Crystal on her sparrow. Liara sat behind her, clutching her tightly and no doubt with a wide eyed face of terror at the sudden arrival. Unfortunately, her face was covered by a helmet, but Shepard could paint a pretty good mental image of what was happening, and it was enough. Straight as a bullet, the four guardians zipped across the wasteland towards their objective.

* * *

Amber pulled her sparrow to a stop atop of a large hill, overlooking the valley below. According to Cayde, a village in this area lost contact with the City about a week ago. A Hunter had been sent in to investigate, but he lost contact last night. Apparently, the only reason that Cayde was concerned by this at all was because the hunter had been broadcasting a signal before it was abruptly cut off, as if something had attacked him. So, Cayde was sending in Amber to investigate the disappearances and radio silence.

"Buggy. Anything I should be informed of?"

The ghost materialized above Amber's shoulder, spinning her shell while glancing at the valley below.

"Well, Veronica is looking into a new sniper rifle. She says she found one that is even more powerful than…"

"About my mission Buggy, not gossip."

"Oh. Well, this is the right area, though I am detecting no life signs in the valley below. Though, I can't be completely sure from this distance."

Amber sighed, tilting her head to the side to pop her neck before leaning forward and revving up her sparrow. Like a shot, she zipped down the hill into the valley below.

This was her first time being in the Americas, and honestly, she wasn't terribly impressed. Having heard so many tales about the great beauty and wealth that this land had to offer had gotten her hopes high. But seeing the desolate, barren wasteland, where the snow was replaced with sand and the biting cold replaced by searing heat, her hopes had been dashed. Maybe she was judging the landscape too harshly, but still, this place was over hyped and when push came to shove, just boring. Hopefully some action would happen, but knowing her luck, she'd wind up regretting that statement.

Finally, she reached the town, pulling up along the outskirts and hopping off her sparrow. The wind whipped her cloak, howling as it blew the dust from the ground. Drawing her Scout Rifle, Amber walked towards the town, scanning the buildings as she did. This was unnatural. There was no sound at all. No insects, no birds, nothing but the wind. Moving into the town itself, it was the same. Nothing but the wind blowing against the metal and wooden walls of the buildings.

"I don't like this? Where is everyone? Do your scans say anything Buggy?"

The Ghost materialized, her shell pulsing as she scanned the surrounding area. She then remained out, staring in silence.

"Buggy?"

"It's… I don't know. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. Its dead, but the whole area seems to buzz with energy. I can't explain it."

Amber makes a face, not finding any comfort AT ALL in the report that Buggy gave her, but she pressed on nonetheless, checking the buildings and alleys for signs of life. Nothing. No trails. No bodies. No blood. No signals. NO NOISE! NOTHING! She growled, kicked the side of a doorframe.

"I don't get it! Where is everyone! I know they went silent, but surely there'd be something here! Anything! Hell, I'd take a monster at this point!"

The word monsters triggered something, and the crash like thunder sounded. Amber froze, confused by the sound. Then, it sounded again, deep and rumbling, and it shook the ground beneath her, forcing her to place her hand on a nearby wall to maintain her balance. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped, leaving Amber confused. She whirled about, rifle raised, searching for anything abnormal, but she could see nothing. She lower her rifle, and glanced at the nearby wall.

Suddenly, a horrid noise split the silence, like a window cracking. Amber jumped, gasping loudly as the he air itself behind her fractured. Slivers of red energy, like cracking glass, formed in the air itself, spreading out like a shattering window, causing the air around it to distort. A clawed hand, shimmering silver with bands of red power, shot out of the fractured space-time, groping at Amber and barely missing her. She leapt back again, actually tripping and following down on her back. She shook her head, then backed up, staring in horror as the hand groped around as if searching for her. Being unsuccessful, it then slammed against the still shattering air, gripping it like a wall as it pulled the rest of itself forward.

A form, humanoid yet horrid, pulled itself from the fracture, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Its body was made of silver metal, with thin red bands of power, almost like external veins, weaving up the limbs to meet at the chest. The limbs where thin, almost skeletal, and the waist was abnormally thin, attaching to a rib cage like chest, where a glowing box was held in the center of the chest. It was similar to a mind core, and yet, different, with a less open design and glowing a dull red instead of white. The vein like bands of energy all connected to the box, and pulsed like a heartbeat, giving the thing an eerie appearance. The right arm had some sort of weapon built onto it, pronged and boxy, with a glowing red orb built between the three barbed barrels. The red, vein like tendrils continued down from its chest, twisting round its stomach and waist before traveling down its thin legs. The tendrils wound round the leg before terminating at the hoof like feet. It stood there for a moment in silence, its left hand twitching slightly, the claw like fingers longer than normal.

The head then slowly turn up to face Amber, glaring down at her. A single red eye, placed in the center of a triangular face. Metal teeth and a jaw, like a skull, sat below the eye, giving it the horrid face of a metal skeleton. Two thin metal spikes jutted backwards and out from the skull, and a third one stuck back directly from the top. If these three were linked at the tips, it would form a fan shape. The mouth hung slack, allowing its mouth to hang open and expose a dull red glow inside of the mouth. Amber froze in horror, a hand lifted to her face as the thing glared at her. It was Vex, and yet, wasn't! It was far more horrid than she'd been prepared for, and it was now glaring down at her.

The things head then twitched, the jaw dropping down as a loud, droning screech came from its mouth. It sounded like a screaming child mixed with a thrumming engine, trying to start but refusing to turn over. Its gun arm then shot up, pointing directly at Amber as red lighting began sparking from the barrels. Her eyes widened, and she finally snapped out of her stupor.

Rolling to the side, she barely dodged the torrent of red bolts that slammed into the ground where she lay only moments before. Springing to her feet, she decided distance is better than immediate retaliation and took off in a sprint, dodging the bolts the whizzed past her as the thing droned again. Glancing back, she spotted the thing lurching after her, its joints throwing off red sparks as it ran after her with an awkward, yet strangely quick gait. It honestly reminded her of a headless Vex. She swore, it was keeping up with her. How could this get worse. Rounding the corner to the main road, she released that the situation had just gotten worse. All along the street, similar fractures in the air were forming, with more of these monstrous machines clawing their way out. They all glared at her, droning as they opened fire, turning the still night into one of horrid droning and gunfire.

Swearing loudly, she dove behind a building. Buggies voice then filled her ears, sounding as panicked as she did.

"What the hell were those things!? No Vex care a signature like that!"

Amber poked her head around the corner, swearing as she saw even more arrive.

"Doesn't matter. I need higher ground to deal with these basterds."

"On your left."

She turned, and found a ladder to the left, leading to the roof. Quickly pulling herself up, Amber flipped onto the roof with little difficult. She then ran to the edge of the roof, dropped to a knee, and opened fire upon the lurching machines.

Her aim held true, the rifle rounds, slamming into the deranged Vex, staggering them with each shot. Deciding that normal anti-Vex tactics would probably work, she aimed at the red box in one of the things chest and put a bullet into it. The red box split open, spilling glowing red fluid out from the front of the machine, causing it to groan as it dropped to its knees. The pulsing glow faded from its veins and eyes, and it collapsed into the puddle of red fluid, small specks of green mixed in the sludge as well. Satisfied, she did the same with the others, dodging the shots when she could. However, the huge volume of shots soon forced her to dive back and take cover. These things fired far faster than normal Vex, and their bolts did more damage. But her bullets did more damage. She was making a dent in their numbers. In a few more minutes, they'd be…

Suddenly, Amber heard another cracking sound, then yelped as she felt a cold, bladed hand grab her ankle and pull her to the ground. Looking back, she spotted another one of those fractured portals, one the metal arms grabbing her leg and trying to drag her into the rift. Clutching her rifle, she awkwardly rolled to her side and began firing at the arm, desperately hoping not to hit herself and to hit the arm. Finally, the arm snapped at the elbow, splattering her leg with red fluid as the metal limb tore free, the stump flying back into the fracture with a screeching roar.

Quickly kicking the limb from her leg, Amber scrambled back to her feet, and was greeted by the sight of even more fractures shattering the air above the streets. More of those horrid machines filled the streets, all droning and lurching towards her. This place was overrun by these things, and if she had to guess, they were the reason that everyone was missing.

The ground suddenly shook again, causing one of Amber's shots to go high, blowing the head off one of the machines instead of killing it. In traditional Vex fashion, the machine berserked, flailing wilding as it sprinted towards her, energy surging over its body as it fired none stop. However, unlike other Vex, when she shot the head off this one it release an unholy shriek, and continued to shriek as it charged her, firing madly. Trying to put that one down resulted in another lifting its free hand and hurling a burning red sphere at her, landing right at her feet.

"Grenade!"

Spotting the danger, she threw herself from the roof, escaping the blast just in time. Standing back up, she slowly glancing back to at the horde closing in on her. She had to get out of here and report this. This was too big of a threat for just her.

Acting fast, she turned and sprinted for the city outskirts, teeth clenched while she fired back at the following horde. Another bellowing cry split the air, louder than before, and when Amber glanced back to see what caused it, her heart jumped into her throat. Another, larger fracture was splitting the air on the main street, and an equally massive construct was tearing its way through. Its shoulder were wide, with massive arm, each on with bladed, sparking cannons built into them. The large head sported two large crests, running across the head before jutting up and back. An inverse triangle shaped eye glared out from beneath a horned brow, placed up a skull like mouth, pistons in place of tendons. The same red box with tendrils that covered the smaller Vex covered this one as well, causing its entire form to pulse with red energy.. Dropping its jaw far lower than Amber thought possible, the machine bellowed at her before charging, firing its twin dripping cannons as it went.

"They've got a Minotaur!"

Ignoring her ghost, Amber decided to simply run, run as if the devil himself was chasing her. But she could feel that it was gaining, forcing her to dodge the explosive blasts the deformed the nearby buildings and road. This combined with the standard fire from the (supposed) goblins was resulting in her shielding screaming at her as it threatened to fail.

"Buggy! Get me the HELL out of here!"

"Ships enroute outside the city."

A low screech filled the air, barely visible over the droning screams and weapons fire. Glancing up and spotting her ship, she sighed in relief, quickening her pace as she neared the outskirts. However, her hopes were shattered as quickly as they arrived. Seeing her ship, the Minotaur and at least half of the goblins all aimed upwards and opened fire on it. Amber, noticing that bolts where no longer flying at her, glanced up just in time to witness and large sparking sphere slam into her ship, detonating its back half in rolling flame.

She swore and dove to the side just as the debris crashed into the ground, exploding again and flinging Amber into the air. Finally skidding to a stop, she whimpered in pain, her eyes blurring up from tears and fuzziness. Her ears were ringing, her arm felt weird and her leg ached terribly. Slowly, her eyes opened up again, head still buzzing from the explosion. Her ship was gone, and with it, her sparrow and long range communication. She lifted her head and glanced at her left arm, which hung limply from her side. Dislocated. She was certain. She then turned to her left, and bit her lip to prevent herself from crying out. A large piece of shrapnel was embedded in her leg, jutting out of the back side of her thigh. A fresh wave of nausea slammed into her gut, and she gagged, trying not to vomit in her helmet.

Gritting her teeth, she sat up, and scanned the surroundings. A large pile of burning metal lay 20 yards away. Her ship had fallen, and the resulting explosion had flung her 20 yards up a hill. She could see the horrid Vex still moving towards the wreckage, their attention temporarily off her. But, she knew they'd find her again soon. She didn't have much time. Buggy's voice then spoke through her comm, staticky yet still there.

"Amber! Can you hear me? Are you alright? Can you walk?"

She nodded slowly, still gritting her teeth she shifted her weight and tried to stand. She suppressed another scream, releasing a pained whimper as slumped back to the ground. An idea came to her, and she pulled her sniper from her back. She'd lost her Scout rifle in the blast, and with it nowhere in sight, she didn't have time to retrieve it. Luckily, her sniper remained on her back.

Deciding that she needed it more for this now, she drove the guns butt into the ground, gripping the barrel as she hauled herself to her feet, whimpering as she did. No finally standing, she slowly began moving up the hill. Thankfully, the top was less than 10 yards away, but even then, there wasn't any shelter in the general area. She'd be walking for a while.

Glancing back on final time, she watched the monstrous Vex surround her ship and begin to rip the remains apart, no doubt searching for her body. With luck, she'd get some distance between them and herself before they realized she was gone.

"We need to move. Won't be long before they lose interest or wise up."

For one of the first times, she completely agreed with her ghost. She nodded weakly before turning back and limping away, blood dripping from her impaled leg and her left arm hanging limply. She had a long, painful night ahead of her.

* * *

 **Author's Notes: Hey everybody! I hope 2018 has been going well for you so far! I apologize for this chapters delay. I've gotten VERY busy at college, and my focus prevents me from getting the drive to write. Also, due to my busy college schedule, I cannot guarantee when the next chapter will come out, but I shouldn't be too long a wait, so there's that. But, have no fear, The Chosen Few will continue, as will its accompanying tales. Got a little more personal there at the beginning, and some more snippets of teases showed up as well. I hope nothing I've put forward are too weird or unrealistic. I hope not. But, oh well, I'm rambling. ANYWAY! Some more fun with the Mass Effect crew, and the enemy has FINALLY revealed itself! Or has it? MAHAHAHAHAHA!**

 **Please share and review! I want to know what my kind readers think and have to say! Predictions are accepted and welcome. Also, whoever the guest was that bet their 200,000 Souls from Dark Souls 3 on the villain's identity. I expect my payment within the month. UNTIL NEXT, ZOMAN signing out!**


	10. For Insanity's Sake

**Author's Note: This is a filler chapter, written to help me settle a few issues I was having with the story. Therefore, it is a break from the main story. While overall it is still important, you can skip this chapter without issue. Also, because of this chapter, the rating for this story has changed from T to M. I hope this won't be a problem for any of you readers, but now you know. If you dig the increase in violence, then this is probably tame. If you're not a fan, you have been warned. Now, ONWARD!**

* * *

Miriva growled in frustration, turning the knob to the left while her other hand pressed two different wires together. The signal sputtered, slowly coming into focus, but still not clear. Where was the blasted signal? She just had it. Releasing the two wires, she fiddled around, finding two more. The signal grew stronger, the static changing into words. Yes. Yes, she'd found it again. She turned the knob a hair more, hoping to clear up the last of the static. Almost...

The transmitters suddenly popped, the machinery frying as the wires overloaded the systems. Miriva leapt back, yelping as she was showered by sparks and black smoke. She coughed, waving away the smoke before releasing a growl. Open flame ate at the inner panel, and black smoke poured from it like a charred husk. She'd busted the transmitter, and with it her hope of getting more information here was gone.

She stepped back and punched the Fallen device in frustration, a large cracked dent opening in the side and throwing off sparks, allowing small bits of fire to seep out. She'd forgotten to watch her strength again. With a grumble, she moved to the door, stepping over the Vandal corpse she'd made when she'd arrived. So far, her quest to find this, House of Dust, was a hit and miss. Despite the many secrets that the Devils worked with, and that the original message belonged to them, their communication signals had little on the Dust. All she'd been able to glean from the info was a possible location of the House. Southern Mexico. But nothing else. No info on what they were, their strengths or relations.

Stepping back outside, Miriva closed her eyes as the cold wind blew her face. The wilds of southern Russia was always calming to her. Far removed from the oppressing Kings, it allowed her to be more relaxed in her behavior. Not that she could let her guard down, her nerves prevented her from doing that, but she could be more lax. However, despite her efforts, something prevented her from relaxing. Something on the wind itself. Then it hit her. Blood.

She could smell it on the wind. Death and decay; fresh spilt blood staining the ground and riding on the wind. A guardian attack? No, couldn't be. Their beacons never went this far south, and a hunter would never kill enough to make a smell like this. Perhaps….

A muffled snarl drifted through the air, hitting Miriva and causing her to drop to the ground out of instinct. It came from the same place the smell did, and that snarl was something she'd recognize anywhere. Hive. Now it was starting to make sense. A fight with Hive, which would explain the blood and the snarl. Perhaps they had valuables, or better yet, information on this "House of Dust" which apparently studied the Hive. Deciding that stealth was important, always, she glided over the ground in the direction of the blood and distant snorting.

* * *

Cleo sits in corner. Lick Light from claw. Much tasty yes. Cleo buried Motes in mold. Save for later. Much great idea. Yes yes. Useful much when Cleo worm gnaws. Theo nice nice. Gave Cleo Motes snack. Much nice. Theo care for Cleo. Save from Wizards. Save from Luna. Wizards bad. Hurt Cleo. Make Cleo...do things. Make Cleo new, said Wizards. Weapon on Light. Cleo no know. Theo find. Theo save. Theo bring Cleo new life. Safe safe. No pain. Much nicer yes. Cleo feel new thing. Worm puzzle by it. New feel in Cleo. Theo make Cleo warm. No understand. Cleo like though. Much like yes. Nice nice.

Glance at door. Silent strange. Theo back usual time now. Cleo concern. Perhaps Theo trouble in. Perhaps Cleo check. Move to door. Listen close. No hear. Glance back. Theo forgot chain. Cleo free move. Perhaps. Glance at door. Theo may mad get. But Cleo must see why quiet. Cleo can do this. Long since, remember still.

Place hand on door. Cleo focus hard. Been while since last. Can do. Press hard. Hand vibrates. Funny feeling. Cleo start push through, hand through door. Slow. Much slow. Cleo have head through. See room yes. Dark. No light. Is fine. Cleo no like light. See dark much better. Push farther. Cleo through door now. No sound. Silent, like ghost said Wizard. Cleo breed to break in. Shakes head. Clear thought. Bad thought. Bad time. Before save. Theo save. Now focus. Theo focus. Where be Theo?

Glance of room empty. Strange things room fill. Known not what is. Cleo look at things, move round. Much see. No understand. Strange bottles. Boxes. Glowing things and smelly things. Cleo touch bottle, pulls back. Burn claw. Hot yes. Touch other bottle. No hot. Cleo pick up bottle. Stuff in. Blue color. Look close. Smell. Taste. Cleo puts back shaking head. Bad taste. Much nasty.

More room. Table with things. Not know them. Move closer, looking at box and stuff. Touch white box. Smooth like door. Table have things. Thing like far room but no. More small. More spread. Smell come to Cleo. Smell Light! Light here to find. Tasty Light. Smell different but good. Must find.

Cleo smell wall. Find wall, no Light. Smell but no see. Cleo frustrated. Worm be sated. No pain, but Light good. Make look be worth. Cleo go too far room. Jump on soft table. Sink in, strange feel on feet. Nice feel. Cleo sink in like rest. New soft table nice. Cleo stay little time.

Sound Cleo hear! Door to room. No Cleo door, other door! Theo say hide when door move. Cleo hide! Move to sit behind soft table. Skin go away. Make Cleo hard see. Wizard say make hard to find. Easy break in. Cleo find thought bad. Skill good very. Use can be used yes. Now good time.

Door open. Man come in. Man in mask. No see before. Can no tell. Man close door in hurry. Move to room center. Look round.

"How-how bad is it?"

Who talk to? Who be. Cleo think sound close. Theo yes? No tell.

"Growth has spread from bound down the arm and up the neck. Slowly approaching brain. Recommend immediate treatment."

New voice who be? Cleo may heard once? No tell. Robo voice much weird. Cleo no tell where from.

"Remove arm guards."

Man lift hand. Hand flash bright. Cleo cover eyes. Duck head. No wish spot.

Cleo glance back up. Man arm bare. Band on arm. Glow red. Spike much. Red veins. Wrap arm. Squeeze flesh down hand to. Man look at arm. Move to white box. Look at silver plate on box. Much odd. Man look at arm on plate. Lift hand. Pull off mask.

Theo? Theo strange look. Strange smell. Eyes green, glow little like Hive. Face thin, face pale. Red veins. Like arm. Up neck. Squeeze flesh. Close to jaw. No know what be Theo wrong. Cleo scared. Hide stay. Watch learn.

"This is getting out of hand. May I recommend…"

"Shut up Jarvis! Don't lecture me on my choices. I just need to keep it in check."

Theo move. Turn to large boxes. Pull out small boxes. Move quick. Start growl. Looking like Cleo, try find thing. Open small doors. Pull out tables. Strange thing. Still watch. Theo seem scared. Upset perhaps.

"Come on. Where is it where is it? I know it's here somewhere."

"Perhaps it's…"

"Jarvis, I swear I will shut you off if you don't shut your mouth!"

Theo move closer. Angry seem. Cleo start scared. No see Theo this like. Theo look at boxes, open box up. See Light! Light be there! Small tube. Needle end. Strange tube. Why Light be there?

Theo pick up tube. Seem calm. Happy now. Long breath.

"Ahh. There you are. Thank god."

Stick needle in arm. Light gone! Where go! Theo eat Light. Theo change. Eyes back normal now. Face full, color back. Red veins leave. Vanish from flesh. Up arm. Down neck. Back to band. Band no glow more. Look fine. Theo look normal. Happy.

"Ahhh. Yes. Much better. Hmm. Much better."

Theo put needle back. Rub arm, stretched fingers. Touch face.

"Apply arm guards.

Theo arm glow. Now armor again. Much strange. Cleo confused. What happen here?

"Infection has regressed. Presence of foreign substance reduced to less than 2%. Again, I must recommend that you cease these actions Theo. The effects they may have on you..."

"Are worth the risk. I told you not to worry about it. This is for the benefit of us all. I just need to be more careful. I need more Motes. I'm so close. I just need more time."

Theo turn, move back door. Leaves. Cleo alone. Cleo confused. Pokes head out. Theo worry Cleo. No understand word spoke. Theo have Hive smell but other. Cleo no understand why. Her from? No. New smell. Hive smell. Odd smell. Not know. Concern Cleo. Friend Theo trouble may be. Cleo hope no. Theo all Cleo have. Cleo no wish alone be again.

* * *

Miriva slowed her pace, dropping to all six to creep up the hill. She was down wind now, her scent would be far from these Hive. She could hear them much clearer now. Grunting, snarling. More animalistic than most Hive. But they were definitely Hive. The smell and sound were unmistakable. Old, dusty and slightly rotted. She was close. Climbing up on a rock, she peaked over the edge and gazed at the scene below.

It was absolute carnage, so much that it caused Miriva to gasp. Chitin plates and ash coated the ground in a huge swath of destruction. Black ooze, Hive worm discharge, seeped into the ground and off of some of the helmets. Some Hive bodies remained, heavily wounded but not yet dead. Thrall and Acolytes. However, what surprised Miriva is the types of Hive. Most of the carnage was red, showing them to be of the Hidden Swarm. However, the other type was odd. Orange, coated with black ash like substance. Then her eyes fell upon a living Acolyte with the same color armor. Its body looked burned, charred and covered in ash. The ooze that dripped from it was orange, and the ash that seeped from its body was black. Was this one of the "fire based Hive" that the letter mentioned? Another muffled groan filled the air, and Miriva tore her eyes from the burnt Hive, finding herself surprised again.

A third group of Hive was here, picking through the ruined pieces of chitin, with emphasis on the still living Hive. One of them resembled an Acolyte. The armor was bleached white, clean and clear, without blemish or crease. Or at least it would be, if it wasn't splattered with dripping black and pale grey blood, shattering the appearance of cleanliness and purity. The beasts had a massive, distended jaw, filled with jagged sharp teeth. Its claws were likewise massive and its eyes shone a blank, white in color. The few Thrall were the same, with massive distended jaws and claws. They were even more savage, tearing into wounded Hive like animals, ignoring the black fluid and ash the stained their white flesh.

The feral, white Hive viciously tore at the downed Acolyte, snorting and snarling loudly. It was eating it alive! All of these white, albino Hive had these savage traits and were EATING any surviving victims. Those not eating were dragging the few survivors across the ground towards a large hole which had opened up in the ground.

What in the world were these new Hive? She'd never seen or heard of anything like them, and how where they ripping the other Hive apart without disintegrating them. Perhaps it had to do with the green glow coming from their mouths and claws.

A large snarl snapped Miriva out of her thoughts, and she flinched, ducking down. One of the Acolytes approached a feasting Thrall. It snarled loudly, its jaw dropping farther than Miriva thought possible as it roared at the Thrall. The smaller Hive flinched, quickly glancing up before hesitantly stepping off of the brutalized Hive. The savage Acolyte grunted, then proceeded to grab it by its sole remaining leg and drag it towards the hole in the ground.

Miriva watched as the Acolytes did the same with the other survivors, chasing off the Thrall before dragging them towards the hole in the ground. As they entered it, there was a faint flash of light, then they appeared to be gone. Was something down there? She looked closer, and realized that the "hole" looked more like the gaping jaw of a worm which had burst out of the ground. She could make out what looked like possible teeth and maybe even some flesh, and the foul smell was clearly coming from it and not the Hive bodies. She'd seen enough for now. Better to remain hidden.

It was a full 3 minutes after the last Acolyte and Thrall vanished into the hole before Miriva started moving again. She sat up, glancing down at the now empty battle ground. Slowly, she stood up, eyes drained on the "mouth" as she moved down the hill. A stupid plan perhaps, but this wasn't her first time sneaking into a Hive hole.

Stepping towards the hole like mouth, she glanced in, then had to pull her head back to keep herself from gagging. The smell was foul, far more foul then she'd ever smelled before. She glanced back, and saw why the smell was here. The walls were not only flesh, confirming that it was biological, it was also coated in blood and gore. Some of it old and hardened, but most fresh and dripping. Mixed in with the bloody, fleshy walls, long strands of viscera stretched between the few teeth that jutted from the walls. Whatever this thing was, it was an unholy abomination, even by Hive standards.

Farther down into the tube, Miriva could make out a faint green glowing orb of some kind, floating within the "gullet" and taking up most of the space. Nothing else. These Hive must have went all the way it. She swallowed, grimacing and lifting a hand to her face. Was her desire for knowledge worth a trip down a worms rotting gullet.

Unfortunately, to her, yes. Her personal insanity with her heritage prevented her from doing otherwise. With a groan and one final suppress gag, she stepped inside. But she almost hurled again as her foot sank into the organic substance with a disgusting slurp.

She moved in deeper, grimacing with each disgusting step she took. The green light was just in front of her now. As far as she could tell, the only place left to go was forward. Slowly, she stepped towards the orb, extending a hand to touch it first. Her fingers brushed the orb, and a tingle shot up her spine.

Miriva let out a yelp as she was suddenly yanked forward before colliding with the ground, face first. She groaned, shifting her weight before rolling onto her back. She noticed three things by her first blink.

One: Whatever she had touched had just pulled her through to the other side, confirming that it must be some Hive magic.  
Two: The floor she'd collided with and lay on was no longer organic, but stone and earth. Natural.  
Third: The awful smell, while still present, was greatly reduced from what it had been before.

She sat up, using her lower arms to support her weight while she placed an upper arm on her face. Mask was still intact, though the bone didn't really give her face much padding when it hit the floor. Her eyes opened and she scanned the area. She could see the green orb, still drifting in front of her, unchanged. However, what was odd was that behind it, she could clearly make out a solid wall. She rose a brow, then turned to look behind her. Instead of seeing the opening she'd entered through, she spotted another tunnel. Had she been… teleported? That would certainly explaining the flashing before, but this concerned her. There was no telling where she was at all. She could be deep underground or on the other side of the planet for all she knew.

Jumping to her feet, she decided that it would be best to take this new situation while standing and ready. With stealth she'd practiced hundreds of times, she crept through the darkened tunnel without a sound, a hand against the wall to make sure she'd have some sense of direction. As she went deeper, the smell returned as she got deeper in, and she lifted a hand to her mouth, trying not to gag. Why was it like this? It was horrid. She rounded another corner and froze, kicking herself for asking for the smells source.

A large room lay before her, the ceiling high, making it quite spacious. Or it would be, if it weren't for the massive chained hooks and the bodies dangling from them! There were dozens and of all different species! Fallen, human and even other Hive, all strung up by their throats or shoulders, dangling slightly as blood dripped from their bodies. Many had their stomachs slashed open, allowing their organs to hang out and drip over their legs. Other's had limbs torn off, and still others looked like they'd been partially eaten before being hung. However, in some ways, they were all alike. All had large amount of blood dripping from their bodies, staining their clothes and dripping onto the ground to form a miasma of swirling colors. And all seemed to stare straight at Miriva, their eyes blank and faces drawn in expressions of pain and horror.

Miriva stepped back and hurled, bracing herself against the wall as she vomited not once, but twice. The torn flesh and mixing blood smelled horrendous, and the appearance was something she'd never wished to see? It reminded her far too much of her mother. The way she'd been brutalized, beaten and battered, bleeding and broken, left to die why she watched. She grabbed her head, shaking it to clear the nausea and painful memories. She could not afford to breakdown here, not within a place like this. She needed to get out, before anything that may be down here found her.

As if to prove her point, a barking sound came from the tunnel behind. She glanced up, eyes wide as she wiped the vomit from her teeth. Something was coming down the tunnel towards her. She stepped back, hands creeping across the wall as she frantically looked for an escape. But there was no way out except….

She turned, grimacing and shuddering at all the bodies that dangled before here. There was no other way except through the slaughter. She whimpered, whispering a silent prayer to Oryx, then stepped into the room. She held her breath, trying not to slip on the slick, blood covered floor as she squeezed between the dangling corpses. The barking got louder, and she quickened her pace, shoving past bodies and trying not to touch anything open or splash too loudly, but in these conditions, it was nearly impossible. Bodies slapped against her, coating her with blood, and her feet splashed loudly in the pooling fluid, her feet occasionally slipping on a fallen organ. Her breath was picking up and nausea was twisting in her gut again. The barking got louder still, but she didn't care. She had to get out of here!

With a final shove and splash, Miriva tore herself free from among the bodies and sprinted down the nearest tunnel. She couldn't take it! She didn't care if anything heard her now, she just needed to get out!

Rounding another corner, she found herself face to face with one of the savage Acolytes. Up close, its own appearance was even worse to behold. Its massive fanged jaw hung slack, black drool and fresh blood dripping from between the massive teeth. Long streaks of blood dripped down from its chest, falling from the jaw and staining the armor. More blood of all different shades was splashed against the arms and legs, all of it sticking out prominently from the white armor. However, she probably looked 10 times scarier than normal herself, soaked with the dripping blood of so many bodies. The Hive's eyes went wide with shock, caught off guard by this blood soaked figured sprinting down its halls. But Miriva didn't give it time to think on this, or anything else.

With a snarl, she ripped her knife from its sheath and slammed it into the Hive's throat. It released a pained grunt, which morphed into a gurgle as the blade punched out the back of its neck, sending dark, tar like ash and black ooze dripping from the wound. She then ripped it free, throwing the body to the ground where it crumbled to ash on contact.

A larger snarl came from behind, but Miriva ignored it. Without wasting any time, she sprinted down the hall, praying that she didn't encounter any more of those gross Hive. The snarls turned to roars of alarm and fury, and they echoed through the tunnels. If she didn't find an exit, her nerves and these beasts would slaughter her and hang her up by those hooks!

She rounded anther corner and spotted another floating green orb! Without hesitation, she hurled herself through the portal, making sure to tuck her body so she'd land properly. A flash filled her vision, then Miriva felt a sloppy wet floor collide with her shoulder as she rolled, then flew forward, landing on her feet.

She dropped to all six, eyes closed as she panted, breathing heavy. Clean crisp air filled her lungs, soothing her. Calming her. Thank Oryx she was out of that hell hole, she was almost hyperventilating. When she tried to open her eyes, her vision was fuzzy, showing just how badly that stuff had affected her. Slowly, very slowly, her vision began to clear and her breathing returned to normal. She glanced up, inhaling deeply, then turned and glanced behind her.

Another one of those worm like holes lay behind her a couple feet away. Her roll had, thankfully, thrown her out of the mouth as she exited the portal, and she was once again standing on solid ground. But, when she took a look around, she realized, she wasn't in Russia anymore. The carnage of battle was gone, as were the shrubs, snow, and dirt. Instead, bare rocks and sand covered the landscape, flowing and swaying up and down in gradual sweeps. The sun was setting, and the hot air was vanishing with it. It was quiet unlike anything she'd seen. The sun turning the sand and air a fiery red color, accented by gold and orange. Her troubles left her for a moment, and she stared at the horizon, losing herself.

Slowly, the sun dipped out of sigh, and the light faded. Now relaxed, Miriva glanced down at her arms. They were dripping with blood, soiling her armor and no doubt throwing off a wretched smell. She needed to get it off of her. Fast. But first.

She reached into her pelt, plucking out the engraved metal note and opening it.

 _"_ _Must contact House Dust, ask for information regarding new Hive._ _"_

She glanced up at the sand and stone around her. This wasn't Russia, but perhaps it was the land she was looking for. At any rate, she was NOT going to turn back now. All she could do was trudge on. Folding the note back up, she placed it in her belt, then withdrew her wire rifle. She then took off towards the nearby by mountains to the north. Her quest continues.

* * *

 **Authors Note (again): This took longer than it should, but it's done now. As I said before, this chapter increased the stories rating and with it, violence will probably increase as well. I also, hehe, must apologize for Cleo's perspective. I know it was probably difficult to read, but the style fit Cleo's personality, so I kept it. I apologize again if you were bothered by it. If it makes you feel any better, writing it was like putting my brain in a blender. At any rate, I hope you fine readers are doing well. It seems this story is getting quite a bit of attention. Next chapter will come out….eventually, though my report on Hive Sects will probably come first. But have no fear, next chapter will be worth the wait. Things will get more interesting. Please comment and review! I want to hear what my beautiful readers think! Check out my other story, "Some Chosen Tales" for more information concerning the world of "The Chosen Few". Until next time, this is ZOMAN, signing out!**


	11. Strange Allies in the Dark: Part 1

The planes of the Mexican plateau, an endless stretch of unbroken sand and moldering stone. This desert was broken only by the occasional shrub or bush, but today, something else disturbed the silent sand. A broken trail, edged with spilled blood, screaming out the pain of the one who made it. For miles, this trail cut through the desert, a meandering road of agony and pain. Then, it came to a halt alongside a large patch of boulders, where Amber sat, tending to her wounds.

She gritted her teeth, groaning slightly as she lowered herself down to the boulder. It had been three hours since she'd arrived in the abandoned village. Three hours since those...things appeared and marooned her here, leaving her wounded in this wasteland. The walk had been grueling, and she'd nearly passed out a few times, but she continued on. She was determined to not only find a safe place to treat her injuries, but also to put distance between herself and those monsters. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she'd found this outcrop and could ease the pain her in her leg.

Buggy appeared above Amber's shoulder in a flash of light, eyeing her with sisterly concern.

"How's your shoulder? Do you want more painkiller?"

Amber had popped her arm back in place about an hour ago, finally sick of the limp appendage dangling next to her. The pain, when combined with her leg, almost knocked her down and her scream was barely contained. However, it was far better than having a useless arm. Now, only a stiff soreness remained of the dislocated limb.

"No. I-I think you'd better save it for my leg."

With shaky hands, she pulled off her helmet, letting the cool wind blow through her short hair, drying the sweat and tears on her face. While she very rarely let tears fall, and never in front of others; out here in the wastes, with a hunk of metal protruding from her thigh, she'd let some slip out. The air felt refreshing, a relief after her stuffy helmet but she had little time to enjoy it. She needed to mend the immediate problem before it got worse.

Glancing down, she gritted her teeth and slowly tilted her leg to get a better look at her thigh. The jagged piece of metal had a charred surface, deformed and broken by heat and was embedded deep into the back of her leg. While she couldn't tell how deep, the fact that she could still walk was a comforting sign. The armored cloth around it was ripped and cracked, the fibers flayed and caked with blood and mud. A small trickle of blood had dripped down her leg, and the smell of infection wafted into her nostrils.

She groaned, forcing herself to look away so she wouldn't hurl. Her breathing was picking up, and her vision blurring. She had to do this. If she didn't now it would only get worse.

"Buggy. Prepare the painkillers. I-I need to get this out."

She sniffed, trying to slow her breathing. The Ghost nodded at her, hovering close and preparing the healing injectors in her suit. Slowly, she withdrew her knife, running her fingers along the blade to charge it with solar energy. The orange glow shone on her face, casting its light into the still, starry night. Slowly, very slowly, she moved the blade down next to the metal, illuminating the wound and causing the wet, torn flesh to glisten.

Swallowing again, she grabbed the metal with her free hand, whimpering some as pain shot through her leg. She needed to do this quick. If she hesitated, she wouldn't be able to do this. With a gritted teeth and clenched eyes, she yanked at the shard. In a single motion, she ripped the jagged metal from her leg and pressed the heated knife against the wound.

The fierce, agonizing pain of ripping flesh was joined by burning skin, and she didn't hold back her scream this time. It shattered the night air with an echoing wail, practically rattling the sand itself. Amber's entire body trembled from the intense pain, but she kept the blade in place, letting the heat cauterize her wound and seal it up. Her scream turned into a squeal, her gritted teeth muffling the shriek. Three more seconds, and then she hurled the blade to the side, groaning as most of the pain left with the blade.

Now clear, Buggy flew down to the wound, zapping it once with her blue beam of light before moving it over the ruined fabric. Sweet relief washed over Amber as the painkillers engaged, numbing the pain and soothing the burned flesh. Unfortunately, this was the most she could do, having lost her med kit in the explosion.

"Healing has begun. Pain levels are dropping and you should be at 70% capacity soon. Though, you'll need some nanites to fully recover sis. That metal did a number on your thigh muscles."

"Don't remind me Buggy. I'd prefer to forget for a moment."

She lifted a trembling hand to wipe away her tears before lying back onto the rock to catch some air. This was not how she wanted or expected this mission to go. She expected this to be a straightforward search and find. Scout out the village, find the villagers, guardians and culprits, and return to Cayde for admiration. Blast, why'd she have to fall for that ambush. It was obvious! She should have left as soon as the first….thing, tore through that shattered wormhole. If she had, she'd still have her scout rifle, her ship and her bloody dignity. She grumbled, pulling herself up into a sitting position before hissing as dull pain shot through her leg.

"Might want to take it easy sis. Don't want to tear the wound open again. It won't be pretty."

She glared at the Ghost, wishing she could think up something clever in response, but she came up short. Buggy was right.

"Whatever. Where's the nearest settlement?"

"Aside from the one you just limped from? Hundreds of miles."

"Brilliant. How long before I can move again."

"You really should rest for the entire night"

"Not happening."

Buggy glared at her guardian, frustrated by her stubbornness.

"An hour. Though you have nothing better to do, so why not sleep?"

She shifted her leg, glancing at the cauterized wound. Thank the Traveler that the pain killers were working. Only a dull throb remained now. She carefully bent down and grabbed her sniper off of the ground, twisting a knob to access the internal compartments.

"Because I don't know where I am or what's out there, and I'd prefer to be armed and ready."

The Ghost rolled her eye, not willing to argue farther. She was right. Suddenly, a noise cut through the night. Tumbling stones.

"Something's out there."

Amber didn't look up, still cleaning her gun.

"What did I tell you, but did you listen to me? No…"

"Shut up! I mean it! There is something out there."

Amber froze, glancing around at the surrounding area. The rolling sands, the howling wind, the rising rocks, dripping blood, the bright moo…. BLOOD?!

Amber's eyes widened, staring at a small trickle of red blood, flowing down from the top of a large boulder. On reflex, she lifted her sniper to the rock, aiming it at where the blood was flowing. This...this could be bad.

"Buggy. Scan the area. Make it fast!"

"If you wish to live another second, I suggest you drop your weapon."

Amber spun round to the voice and nearly dropped her weapon at the sight before her.

* * *

"So. You're Cayde's secret contact?"

Eris Morn glared at the new "companion" who had come to her aide. Despite her insistence to Ikora that she neither needed nor wanted help on this mission of hers, the Warlock Vanguard had told Cayde anyway. The dunce of a machine then concluded that she could use the help of his "secret contact", if she was going to be exploring the Moon. Or, at least this was the tale this…. Zora was telling her, though to be honest, she was more inclined to distrust them then she normally would. And with good reason too.

The Exile Baroness stared down at her, it's expression a mix between distaste and amusement. A stenciled design of an Ace of Spades card was on her breastplate, and a black Spade was stamped onto her helmet over her right eyes, though the eyes shone through. Cayde's signature, as it were.

"Yes of course. Me and him have been….companions for quite some time now. Why do you zink he's so eager to leave the Tower?"

She giggled, her voice not as unpleasant as one might expect, though it was still raspy and alien. This Baroness knew Cayde well enough to become his contact, and now was claiming to be the reason he wished to leave. Eris racked her brain, remember the story she heard about Cayde and an Exile Baroness. What if Cayde hadn't actually killed the Baroness. What if he spared her and they became friends. Maybe even more than friends, which would mean. She closed her eyes, groaning as the realization came to her.

"That was something I REALLY didn't want in my mind right now. Thank you for that."

The Fallen giggled, clearly pleased with herself.

"You're welcome. Now, as my Cayddy said, you are searching the moon for somezing. He said you could use a hand."

"I spent years trapped here. Wandering around the Hive's dens in secret. Hiding, desperately trying to stay hidden while I learned all I could. You may be fallen, but I have more experience hiding then you could ever known."

"Riiiiight. And since zen, how much fighting have you done? How many secret Hive entrances have you found? How many clues held by Fallen have you examined?"

Eris said nothing, aggravated with this female. "You're not going to leave me alone, are you?"

"Not a chance tri-eyes."

A bolt of anger shot up Eris with that name. Though Cayde had always poked fun at her, he'd ever made fun of her eyes, at least not directly. It was too sensitive, but this Zora had….

She sighed, reigning in her anger. If she got mad, it would only encourage this Fallen to do it again.

"Very well. You may aide me in my search. But do not be surprised if I accidently shoot you in a firefight."

Zora laughed, something that seemed unnatural to Eris. "Zat would not be unexpected. I'll watch myself."

The Baroness waved Eris on, telling her to follow as she vaulted over a small hill. With a groan, Eris followed, already regretting letting Cayde interfere with her investigation. When she got back, she was gonna rip his horn off.

* * *

Amber was stunned by the sight that greeted her, but to be honest, she wasn't sure what she was seeing. It looked Fallen, what with its lanky legs, four arms and what looked like a Wire Rifle in its hands. Aside from that, it looked more like something out of an old slasher vid then anything real.

It's armor was pitted and slashed and the cape was in tatters, as if it was constantly in combat. Tendril like hair stuck up from its head, folding over to one side and trailing down the neck. The face looked like a skull, with four green eyes glaring out of the sockets, and large fanged teeth below, complete with viable mouth tendons. However, topping it all was the copious amounts of foul blood that coated its entire body, staining it a deathly shade. Most of it was red, but mixed in the foul measma was pale white, oily black and even a few specks of green. It's entire form seemed to shudder slightly, sending drops of the fluid falling to the ground and leaving a visible trail. She could smell the blood now; foul and rotting, like a mass grave. It's incredible that she didn't smell it before now. The chattering teeth seemed incapable of speech, but to Amber's astonishment, it spoke again.

"Did you not hear me? Drop your weapon or you'll scream in agony again."

Amber was so surprised by the speech that for a moment, her fear left her. It was speaking English, pretty good English too, though it had a guttural and raspy accent. However, if she wasn't mistaken, it was also a female, if the feminine tone and the shapely torso wasn't confusing her.

Slowly, she lowered her on rifle, placing it on the ground before lifting her hands. She tried to keep a straight face, but the smell was making it difficult.

"I mean you no harm. I know we guardians typically give you Fallen trouble, but…."

The creature snarled loudly, it's teeth bared as it stepped forward, jabbing the gun into Amber's face. It's eyes where ablaze with fury, and it's hair rattled loudly.

"Don't you EVER call me that! I am not one of those filthy, dishonorable butchers! I am nothing like them! You call me that again and I will rip out your guts and strangle you with them!"

Amber's eyes went wide, caught off guard by this reaction. She leaned back, trying to keep the gun barrel from digging into her cheek as she kept her arms up.

"Ok! Ok! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend! Just like how I didn't mean to intrude! If you give me the space, I'll be on my way."

The fall...female, seemed to relax slightly, though it was hard to tell with that blood coating her. She pulled her weapon away, eyeing Amber again.

"So. This is what armored fighters look like under the helmet. Frail to say the least."

Amber blinked. Did she just call her weak?

"Well, you're not to solid looking yourself, though you look plenty fearsome. What are you anyway, if your not at Fallen."

The creature hesitated, clearly unsure of how to answer.

"My name is Miriva. And I'm a drifter. I go where I want, when I want and kill whoever I want."

Her teeth chattered and Amber lifted her arms up again.

"Whoah. Ok. Ok calm down. I don't want to hurt your Miriva. My name is Amber. My ship was destroyed about 10 clicks to the South and I'm stranded out here. If you have any way I might be able to leave, then I'll be out of your…..hair….tendrils. Things."

"Smooth."

If Buggy was visible, she'd glare at her for such a comment. Luckily, it seemed to defuse the wanderer.

"Well, I can not provide much help in that regard. I am also, lost, as it were. I know not where I am not who my enemies are. I only know my prey."

She chartered her teeth, unnerving Amber. If this thing was some kind of Fallen, it was the strangest she's ever seen. And it if was a ghost…. well she owned Crystal glimmer then

"And, what is this pray of yours, if I may ask?"

"Fallen. A group of them known as…"

* * *

"House Dust. Zey're the ones with ze green eyes and brown hoods."

Eris narrowed her eyes, peering through the spyglass at the exchange below. Despite being an Exile Baroness, Zora was more than happy to allow Eris to spy on their dealings here on the moon.

Below, an exchange was happening. Several Exiles, their green armor standing out of the white surface, surrounded and moving large canisters, each glowing purple, yellow or white. Guarding them where several larger figures, with tanks strapped to their backs and enlarged tubed masks covering their faces. Their armor had yellow lights on it, and they seemed to twitch constantly.

However, it was the other group of Fallen, the ones that Zora had pointed out, the caught her attention.

There were half a dozen, and all were dressed in bizarre armor. Brown cloth wrappings covered their limbs, and large cloaks draped over their torsos. These hooded cloaks were pulled up, casting dark shadows on the wearers faces, leaving little more than glowing green eyes visible. However, the shapes of these eyes varies between them. One had a single large eye on the left side and three smaller eyes on the right. Another had two equally sized eyes on either side, but a smaller third eye placed below the left. Still another had only one large eye, while another had six glaring out from under the hood. The few that didn't have their faces darkened had cloth masks wrapped around their face, only letting the green glow of their helmets through.

Bizarre and brutal looking weapons hung from their backs and belts. Large curved swords with serrated edges. Blocky harpoon guns with jagged tips. Long chains with hooks on the ends, and spike grenades dangling from belt pouches.

"I sense, darkness within them."

"Wizin ze Dust? Not surprised. Zey are dark priests and mystics, who have been attempting to unify ze Houses for years. Unfortunately, ze have been mostly successful. All our clients are allied with Dust in one way or anozer."

That had been another surprise for Eris. For years it was believed that the Exiles were little more than disgraced scavengers. Their ranks made up of mad outcasts who thought living with the Hive was a good idea. However, it turns out that they are actually making a name for themselves. They have begun fuel merchants, harvesting the helium and void deposits and selling them to other houses. And if Zora was correct, they had a monopoly on the system, and even sold Fallen narcotics and drugs.

"So, every House between here and the star work with them."

"Pretty much, yes."

"That is…. concerning. Considering that these Fallen have such dark auras surrounding them. Reminds me of the..."

Eris froze, cutting herself off as her eyes locked onto one of the larger Dust Fallen. Inside it, she could see a writhing presence. Not just Darkness, but a source of it, radiating it like a festering wound. It matched her visions all too well. Fallen mutilating themselves and replacing their eyes with Hive eyes; worshiping the beasts to gain power and knowledge.

"Hive. The foolish creatures have infected themselves with Hive."

"What!?

Zora's harsh whisper of surprise hurt Eris' numb mind, but she ignored it.

"Darkness swirls round them like a stench, radiating out and rotting souls. There are worms inside them, writhing within their guts and twisting their minds. And their eyes, they share the same eyes that I do."

Zora spun, locking eyes with Eris to get a good look at them. While this normal made her feel shame and discomfort, she let it pass this time. The Baroness needed to know."

"Filzy traitors! Fraternizing with bone walkers! Don't zey remember what zey did to our home!? Why ze little…"

The Baroness tried to stand, but Eris, her eyes flashing, used some fel magic to stop her. Zora halted, surprised by the green energy that held her in place, but quickly sat back down.

"While I understand your blight, now is not the time to fight. This Dust no doubt has hid this well, and will turn aggressive if the were exposed. We must tread carefully. I fear this darkness that the Dust are wielding is far worse than we imagine."

The Baroness nodded slowly, sitting herself back down. "Apologizes. Zat was rash of me."

"Indeed."

Eris returned her gaze to the scene below. The exchange was complete. Bags of payment were being exchanged between an Exile and Dust while Dregs pushed the canisters to the Dust. With a final nod, the Dust turned and walked off a short distance. Then, to her surprise, a Fallen Skiff materialized above the Dust members. It was more jagged than most skiffs, with sharp armored plates and large chains dangling beneath it. The armor was a dirt brown with plates of green, causing it to stand out immensely. Slowly, the chains lowered, the the Fallen began attaching their spoils to them. One by one, the chains retracted, hauling up the goods into the Skiff. Once all was done, the Dust members grabbed hold of the last chain, and were pulled up into the Skiff.

"Where do those skiffs lead too?"

"We don't know. Many times we have tried to track zem down, but wiz little success. Zeir stealz tech is far better than any other House we've seen."

Eris watched as the Skiff slowly turned, then vanished from sight, completely silent unlike most Skiff. However, to her surprise, she could still see it. Like a ghostly phantom, she could watch as it slowly glided through the air, clearly in no hurry. She leapt to her feet.

"I can see them."

"What? You can?"

"We must make haste! Quickly."

Eris turned and ran, leaping onto the Sparrow she was brought with her. Zora frantically ran after her and leapt on her Runner Pike, custom built for Exile barons and cargo runs. They both took off, following the Skiff. While it wasn't going very fast, it was fast enough to warrant urgency. Why could only she see it? The mystery was deepening, and the darkness was growing.

* * *

"Ouch! Watch your claws!"

Miriva glared at at Amber, giving her a deathly look. She quickly looked away, not wanting to have a staring contest with a skull. After some conversing, both Amber and this Miriva realized that they both had similar goals and situations, and the only way they'd get out is to work together. So that's what they were doing. Miriva has offered to give Amber a proper field dressing while Buggy, begrudgingly, cleaned the blood off Miriva.

The ghost made a gagging sound, zapping Miriva's back and causing the blood to vaporize into foul smelling steam.

"Where and how did you get covered in this stuff? It's disgusting!"

Miriva glanced at the ghost. She'd never seen one up close, it it intrigued her greatly.

"I had to wade through a Hive butcher hole."

"Butcher hole?"

"Yes. Some new breed of foul Hive had captured dozens of people of all kinds, then strung up their bodies. I had to wade through it to get here."

She shuddered visibly, obvious disturbed by it. Amber also grimaced. She couldn't imaging having to walk through a room of butchered bodies. It was probably horrible.

"Well, you're certainly braver than I am. And thanks for this by the wa-OW!"

Miriva stood, removing the her hands from Amber's leg.

"Sorry. But you're all fixed up now."

"Well that's good at least. Buggy. How's her back look? All the blood gone?"

The ghost hesitated, causing Amber to raise a brow.

"Buggy?"

"If I could vomit, she'd be covered in it. But aside from that."

The ghost flew back to Amber, her flight uneasy like a queasy child. She laughed, patting her ghost like a dog.

"There there. You're a tough girl."

"I'd bite you hand if I had a mouth."

"Heheh. Well thank the Traveler you don't."

"Are you…. armored fighters always like this?"

Amber chuckled, glancing over at the female.

"Well, not all of us. Only the fun ones."

She smirked, then glanced over Miriva. Now that she was clean she could see that she wore Kings armor, though it was horribly dented and pitted. Her cape was tattered and her under-suit had scorch marks on it. Her mask was a human skull, polished and cleaned up, with additional eye holes drilled on either side to accommodate her four eyes. However, what surprised Amber more was that her fanged mouth and tendons were her actual face, left exposed by the skull mask. Very interesting and slightly creepy.

With a shrug, Amber carefully stepped round Miriva and retrieved her helmet and the knife she'd thrown earlier. Buggy, trying not to be sick despite being a machine, quickly retreated back into Amber's helmet with a flash of light.

"So, where are we going miss wandering hunter?"

Miriva blinked, surprised by the word choice, but slowly understood what was happening and being said.

"Uh? Oh, right. Well, not exactly sure. My…. sense of smell is a bit… cluttered by all that blood and death. But, I think that if we head..."

She turned, sniffing some before pointing to the far northern horizon, where the moon illuminated some mountains.

"..that way. I believe we will find at the very least a clue, if not my prey."

Amber stood, slipping her helmet on and glancing at Buggy.

"Does that sound right?"

"Hmmm, well my thermal scans are detecting a low, but definitely noticeable heat source to the East. So as the creepy girl said. A clue at the very least."

"Great. Let's be off then."

Amber took a step, then stopped, hissing as some pain shot up her leg.

"More painki.."

"Just inject them already."

Miriva snickered, her teeth chattering.

"For a warrior, you demeanor is surprisingly weak. Do you want me to carry you?"

* * *

" _For a warrior, you demeanor is surprisingly weak. Do you want me to carry you?"_

" _Please let me keep some dignity."_

Grimlu'lock ground his teeth, glaring down at his prey from atop a distant hill. Their voices rang through his earpiece and into his skull, rattling his teeth and angering him more. Disgusting vermin. The abomination was bad enough, but now it was joined by a wretched Light Wielder, and a female no less. It caused his stomach to boil in disgust. They were an affront to the change and must be burned like all the others.

His head jerked to the side, shuddering violently before finally coming to a rest, throwing off his vision until the fit ended. These tics were an unfortunate side affect of his accelerated birth, and something that all his brethren suffered from. Flexing his jaw, he slowly reached back and withdrew his rifle. It felt good to hold it in his hands again. It had been quite some time, and the molded grip and stock sent shivers of familiarity through his fingers.

With a flick of his finger, the hybrid weapon silently whirled to life, the firing chamber spinning as void and solar energies were swirled together. The scope on top expanded, granting Grim's eyes easy access to it. He breathed steadily, easing his mind and racing heart. Though, to be technical, he didn't have a heart nor needed to breath. Old habits die hard. He hesitated. Old habits? He'd only been born a couple days ago. Chosen and perfected, given this mission by his masters. Was he mistaken? No. No just distracted.

He cursed, his hesitation causing his hand to spaz against the grip. Slowly, the twitching ceased, relaxing against the trigger. It was itching, and he needed to answer it. His twin pupiled eye narrowed, placing the cross-hairs on the abomination's head. It would be the first to die.

" _Fine. I guess I'll be nice. Go ahead and keep it."_

* * *

Miriva snickered at Amber's comment, quite amused.

"Fine. I guess I'll be nice. Go ahead and keep it."

Amber glared at the "fallen", rubbing her wrapped thigh as the fresh painkillers kicked in.

"Well thanks. Awfully sweet of you."

She grumbled, slowly standing up straight and taking a test step. Sore but doable.

"One final question before we depart? What exactly does that small machine do?"

Amber glanced back at Miriva, trying to think up an answer. However, before she could, Miriva eyes suddenly brightened, her hair rattling some before she threw herself to the ground. A dark black bolt, flashing scarlet and violet, split the night air, whizzing over Miriva's head before plowing into a rock. The rock fragmented, pelting them with smoldering shards. The impact continued to fester, the energies corroding away the stone like acid.

"OH S**T!"

Amber dropped to the ground, scrambling to get behind the boulder. Miriva did the same, scrambling across the sand as another bolt plowed into the sand where she had been. Buggy materialized, eye wide as she glanced to Amber just as Miriva cleared the rock.

"What the hell was that?!"

"Hell if I know! Miriva, are you alright?"

The female "fallen" pressed herself against the rock, her hair and teeth rattling in agitation. She flinched, dropping her head just as another bolt skipped off the top of the rock.

"Still in one piece! We need to get out of here! This position is not optimal!"

"I agree! We need to move! But how are we going to get past this sniper fire."

Amber glanced up over the rock, but quickly flinched down as another bolt zipped by, bouncing off her helmet. She swore as her shields broke, the foul substance blackening her visor and causing her HUD to fritz out. Shaking her head, her HUD returned to normal, though the darkness only partially left.

"Bastard! Gah!"

"If you're done with acting like a pup, we need to get out of here!"

"Well what do you suggest?!"

Miriva snarled, rolling onto her stomach and drawing her rifle. To Amber's surprised, the Wire Rifle began firing rapidly without needing to charge up first. The blue bolts streaked through the sky, slamming into a distant cliff top that Amber just noticed.

"GO! Head that way while I cover you! I'll follow shortly after!"

"You heard the girl! Get going sis!"

Amber hissed at Buggy, but said nothing more as she rolled off of the rock and took off towards the north. Her heart was racing, and fear was creeping into her heart. She was exposed out here and needed to move. Finally reaching the top of a dune, she leapt with all her might, just as a black bolt zipped past her. However, she kept running, praying that she wouldn't get shot. She glanced back and was surprisingly relieved when she saw Miriva following behind her, occasionally turning to fire back.

"Run!"

She didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

 **To be continued**


	12. Strange Allies in the Dark: Part 2

The painkillers that Amber had received aided in easing the pain, but they also numbed that fact that the wound was still vulnerable. Now, she was paying the price for her folly.

She lay on the ground, groaning as she clutched at her wounded leg. The stitches where strained, threatening to rip out do to her hasty retreat. Her and Miriva has scrambled across he stands for some times, and the pain had caused Amber to stumble many times. Miriva had been forced to help her stand, a surprise considering the Fallen grim demeanor. During such scenarios, she'd taken up Miriva's rifle and fired at their pursuer.

She never got a good look at them, only seeing a lanky shadow with glowing red eyes. It was incredibly agile, dancing across the sands after them in pursuit. Luckily, it seemed like it's accuracy was diminished while on the run, and the rapid fire wire rifle could easily hold it back.

Eventually, they'd managed to leave the beast behind. Now clear, Miriva rather rudely just dropped Amber to the ground, letting her nurse her leg while she took up the rifle herself.

"Jeez, could you have been more rough?"

The "Fallen" eyed her, green eyes flashing as she chattered her teeth.

"Yes. I could have left you back there. Be grateful I helped you at all."

"She's right you know."

"Buggy. Patronize me again, and I'm repainting your shell."

"Shutting up."

With a sigh, Amber glanced back down at her leg, relieved that the stitches were still in place. But they still hurt terribly. She turned to look at Miriva. She was squatting atop a nearby dune, eyes scanning the horizon.

"What was that thing?"

"I'm….not sure. It's aura was most disturbing. I've never seen anything like it."

"Aura? You could see it's aura?"

Miriva turned to Amber, eyes narrow.

"Yes. I can see the aura of all living things. For example, I can see that yours is fluctuating do to pain brought on by stupidity."

"You don't need to be rude about it."

"Then don't be thick. That thing is here to kill us. It is still out there, and will no doubt return. If either of us wish to live, we need to be careful."

Amber rolled her eyes, but didn't have the energy to be a smart ass. She shifted her weight, slowly sitting up and standing to her feet shakily.

"Fine. So, what's our next move?"

Miriva slid down the hill, glancing all over as she sniffed.

"We need to find suitable shelter. We are exposed our here. Once we get there, we can hold out till morning. I sense this creature has a distaste for the light."

"Right. So, let's get moving the-"

Amber stopped as the ground began rumbling. The air shuddered and the sand shifted. Reaching out, she grabbed Miriva's shoulder for support. The female snarled, but didn't push her off, understanding the need. Both women bent low, trying to remain standing as the ground shifted beneath them.

Then, as quickly as it started, the shaking stopped. Miriva glanced over at Amber, a brow raised in confusion. Amber however had gone pale. This couldn't be a coincidence. This had happened before.

Suddenly, the sand beneath their feet burst upwards, showering them with grains. Miriva sputtered, stepping backwards and wiping the sand from her face. Amber staggered back, her voice caught in her throat as terror gripped her again.

Beneath the sand, the ground bulged, stretching and deforming like a thin membrane. A hand deformed the surface, stretching it out and spilling sand. With a sound like ripping flesh, the thin membrane ripped open, trailing strands as an arm tore through. The arm gripped the ground, then pulled something up. The ground was deformed more, stretching and tearing as a fanged head pressed against the "skin". All around them, more of these shapes tore through the ground, snarling and ripping at the flesh like ground. One mound split open, revealing a large, fanged mouth, with a large deep sunken socket and a glaring red out buried within it. Red tendril like bands stretched out from the eye, deforming the skin as they trailed down the skull and neck to the chest. Twin tubes emerged from the mouth on either side and ran down the neck before vanishing in the shoulders. A red glow emanated from their throats, and the sickly moist flesh was pitted and scarred; blackish blue like the midnight sky and dotted with red "stars". The creatures snarled loudly, clawing out of the ground in an attempt to get at the two females. However, for one moment, Amber was frozen in terror. Not only were they horrific to behold, but they reminded her of the horrifying Vex. Then, her instincts snapped, and both her and Miriva sprang into action.

Amber leapt backwards, hurling one of her throwing knives as she did. The blade embedded itself into one of the creatures eyes and it reeled back, screaming as it was blinded. Miriva however, terrified beyond belief, simply scrambled back as quick as she could, eyes wide in horror.

"Those aren't Hive! THOSE AREN'T HIVE!"

Amber was surprised by the females outburst. Throughout the night, even as an unknown shot at her head, she'd remained calm. But now, now she was trembling like a leaf, and looked frozen in terror. Amber was also quite terrified, but her guardian instincts were stronger than her fear. Reacting fast, she conjured up her emergency sidearm, whipping out the compact weapon before opening fire. The Hive like creatures screamed, the Void bullets tearing through their flesh. Aiming for the eye, upon hitting one, the creature groaned, the orb bursting open with a spurt of glowing red fluid. The creature then slumped, the pulsing liquid continuing to drain from the new hole in its head.

Others continued to claw their way out, revealing more of their bodies as they came. Their torso resembles a Thrall's, save for metal plates running down and across the chest. These plates vaguely resemble ribs, and held the chest in place. More red tendrils wrapped round the thin skeletal arms, terminating at metal plates embedded in the hands. The clawed hands resembled a Thrall's, but glowed blood red instead of blue. Maroon colored fluid oozed out of a large, mouth-like gash in the stomach, staining the hips and upper legs an off red. The clawed feet were Hive like, save for more of the red tendrils that hugged its flesh. The bony flesh barely looked like it could support the creatures weight, but as they clawed from the ground, this assumption was proved wrong.

Grabbing Miriva's shoulder, Amber began dragging her up the hill, shooting at the closest creatures as she did. They all snarled in pain, each shot tearing out pits of ruined flesh and spurts of glowing fluid.

"What are they? WHAT ABOMINATIONS ARES THESE?!"

Miriva's protest was ignored by Amber, who was desperately trying to pull her companion up the hill, keep her aim steady and keep her stitches from ripping out.

"Just shut up and shoot them."

While she didn't start shooting them, some sense did seem to return to Miriva. Like a snapping twig, she ceased her trembling and scrambled up to the top of the hill, leaving Amber in the dust. She grumbled, giving the "fallen" a quick glare before turning back to the approaching beasts, blasting holes through them as she moved up. Finally reaching the top, Amber was able to stand upright and sprint after Miriva.

Like a horrible case of Deja Vu, Amber limped after Miriva as more creatures ripped out of the ground like emerging parasites. Miriva didn't seem to notice and simply ran past them. All of this was more bizarre then Amber could handle. Her stoic companion had been reduced to a frightened child and unknown creatures where ripping out of the ground. Ripping! First the Vex things shattered the air like broken glass, and now these Hive things were ripping out of the ground like parasites tearing through skin. It was all unnatural and horrific, and Amber was certain that the two events were linked.

A creature leapt out in front of her, the elastic membrane of the ground splitting and coating the creature in muck and ooze. As it lunged for her, Amber swung her foot, striking it in the face. It was knocked to the ground, then greeted by Amber heel crushing it's face. The head crumbled beneath her boot, splattering the ground as a wet crunch was heard. She ignored it and carried on, casting a glance over her shoulder. Over a dozen mutilated "Thrall" lurched after her, screeching like broken records as they ran across the sand.

A sudden pain shot up Amber's leg and she cried out, finding herself plummeting face first into the sand. She rolled, and to her horror found of the beasts nearby. It's glowing red claws had dug into her ankle, and was now using her leg to pull itself out of the ground. Lifting her sidearm, she pulled the trigger until the clip ran dry. It snarled in pain, thrashing about as the void bolts tore through its flesh. It was then silenced as the last shot tore clean through its skull, spraying Amber with the glowing red fluid before it collapsed.

She scrambled back, attempting to pull herself up, but the thing's claws were stuck in her armor, keeping her locked in place. She frantically glanced up, spotting the others things drawing closer, their mouths salivating and flashing red. She spun round, spotting Miriva atop the next dune.

"Miriva! Help me! Please!"

The female skidded to a halt, turning round and locking eyes with Amber. She could see fear, dread and confliction in the alien's eyes. Miriva then turned to the approaching creatures. With a low growl, she tore back down the hill towards Amber, drawing her sword in the process. Before Amber quite realized what was happening, Miriva was jumping over her head, screaming like the creatures.

She hacked through them, her machete shaped arc blade cleaving the creatures like wet paper. Limbs and fluid flew through the air, one creature screaming as its stepped back, half of its torso sliding free before it dropped. Miriva meanwhile was a twirling whirlwind of arc energy and green eyes. In seconds, all of the pursing creatures lay in pieces and Miriva stood unharmed and coated in pulsing gore. And it was Amber's turn to be scared.

"Holy s***! You just. How?"

Miriva ran over, quickly sheathing her sword before dropping to her knees. Amber flinched, actually scared of her companion, having seen her in a new light.

"Not now! More are coming."

Amber could hear the things now, screaming in the distance as they emerged. She thankfully couldn't see any new bulges forming, but it was only a small comfort. With a crunch, Miriva snapped the creature's dead limb, freeing Amber's ankle from its rigorous grip. She then pulled Amber to her feet, patting her back some.

"Come on. We need to reach the mountains before those things catch up."

Amber nodded, but then flinched as a sharp twang filled the air, and was followed by Miriva's scream. A flashing black bolt had plowed into her shoulder, knocking her to the ground as her cape began dissolving around the impact. Amber spun, and her heart dropped to the ground. The lanky figure stood atop a sand dune, the moon behind it turning it black. Its eyes glowed a sinister red and a smoking sniper-like gun was in its hands. On either side of it, two figures that resembled Acolyte versions of the demented Thrall stood, there three, off center eyes red like the figures. They also held jagged weapons in their fists and had them aimed in her direction. All around, more of the "Thrall" had appeared, snarling and glaring down at her. Amber's guardian instincts kicked back in and she lifted her sidearm to fill it with void pullets. However, when she pulled the trigger, she was met with only a heart-stopping click. She'd forgotten to reload!

Acting fast, Amber thrust her hand into the air and solar energy erupted from around her, coating her in its fiery glow. The Golden Gun emerged in her hands and she took aim, preparing to disintegrate the unholy figure with a head-shot. A gunshot sounded but to Amber's surprise, the figure remained and a bright flash blinded her. Searing pain shot through her hands, and she felt herself stumbling back, her Light energy draining.

She hit the ground hard, groaning as the wind was knocked out of her. Her eyes slowly opened, watering and foggy due to pain. Her solar aura was gone, and her hands were blackened, smoke slowly drifting up from them as the sound of burning acid reached her ears. Her Golden Gun had been shot from her hands! How was that even possible, what type of Darkness could so easily snuff out Light?

Her eyes moved upwards, meeting the figures as it glared at her. It's rifle was once again lifted, smoke drifting from the barrel. The other two figures also had their weapons lifted, and were descending the hill towards her. Amber tried to growl, but her lungs were deflated. All that came out was a meek squeak, which quickly morphed into a cough. A second cough joined her, causing her to glance to the side. Miriva lay next to her, groaning as she rolled over onto her back, dark blood seeping from her shoulder wound. They were both incapacitated and wounded, taken out by a mystery figure. A crunching sound filled the air and Amber only had enough time to roll onto her back before she felt a boot strike her side, and a gagging sound filled the air.

When her eyes cleared, Amber could see the figure towering over both her and Miriva. The thing had put its foot onto Miriva's throat, causing her to squirm and gag as she tried to keep him from crushing her throat. She clawed and pulled, but the boot didn't move, only pressing down more to restrict her air, but not enough to crush. Now, with the moonlight shining down upon it, Amber could see their attacker clearly.

They had long, thin limbs and a slim but heavily armored torso. It's head had many crest like protrusions jutting out from the back of the head, giving it a swept back appearance. It red eyes glowed sinisterly, with two pupils within each eye. Tube like wires extended from behind the eyes before following the head back before extending outwards then down to the shoulders. The large, split mouth was filled with black teeth, hiding the same red glow within its mouth. Swirling red brands covered the chitinous face, resembling tribal markings, and extended down the banded throat. The armor was black, with pale white chitin plates bolted onto the right collar and its limbs. The chitin collar was jagged and spiked, sticking out like a Deathsinger, but only covered the right side. The plates on the limbs were more smooth, but stuck out from the black armor. The rest of the body was hidden, save for the bleeding gash on the stomach and the occasional emerging tendril. From its back, a large, tail like structure dangled down to its waist. The "tail" was fleshy and black, with more red tendrils wrapped around its surface. It seemed to shudder and squirm, as if in constant agitation.

In its hands, it held a long and narrow sniper weapon, with an exposed circular chamber. Within, Void and Solar orbs violently spun round, the contradicting energies fighting to stay separate. The scope on top was flat and angular, and the spit barrel was the same. Red fluid dripped from some large tubes running across the weapons body, and even more dripped from within the barrel.

The creature glared down at Amber, its black teeth gnashing together as if it was trying to tolerate the sight of her. Slowly, it's head began shivering, shaking violently as the neck twisted to one side. The shoulders then followed, the shuddering becoming violent and exaggerated. Miriva's gagging increased with the creatures spasm, no doubt do to additional weigh. However, after a few moments, the shuddering abruptly stopped and Miriva's breathing, though shallow and horse, returned with coughing. A growl then came from the beasts throat, which was followed by words.

"For a vile LightBearer, your will is surprising. Perhaps you and the abomination would be better taken alive instead of killed."

It's things voice seemed to echo back on itself as it spoke, resonating within its chest. It hurt Amber's ears, causing them to ring. She coughed, glaring up at the thing with gritted teeth, despite the fear that shook her very core.

"Screw. **You.** Demon."

It released a shuddering laugh, lifting its foot from Miriva's throat. The "fallen" gasped loudly, coughing as she grabbed at her throat. The thing now loomed over Amber, blocking out the moonlight. Quick as a bullet, the thing lunged, grabbing Amber by her helmet and dragging her up. She gagged, her breath catching in her throat from the violent grab. She could see its face clearly now. Black fluid seeped from its glowing red eyes and more red tendrils pulsing beneath the hardened, pitted flesh. It sneered, its jaws peeling back to reveal even more black teeth and its glowing red throat.

"A feisty one indeed. Now shudder, pitiful creature, and gaze upon your destroyer. I am Grimlu'lock and we are the Chosen. Your end begins now."

Amber was hurled to the ground, crashing against the sand and winding her a second time. However, before she could recover, a boot filled her vision and she knew no more.

* * *

Eris and Zora had been following the Skiff for nearly hour before it finally slowed and descended into a crater. Following close behind, they soon realized that a Hive den lay between them and their quarry. The undead monsters were not pleased with being disrupted, forcing the unlikely companions into combat together.

They stood, side by side, rapidly firing their weapons at the approaching Hive swarm. Zora held her two swords in her upper hands, slashing at anything that got too close for comfort. In her bottom hands, she wielded her custom shock pistols, strong enough to punch a hole through a servitor's core and put a guardian's hand cannon to shame. The whole event was rather exciting to her, and much to Eris' grief, whenever she gets excited, she gets vocal.

"Oh! Zis reminds me so much of me and Caddy's first meeting! Mmmm, makes me hot under ze helmet!"

Eris sneered in disgust at Zora, pausing only for a moment before splitting a Thrall's skull with her hand cannon.

"Could you please stop with the perversity! This is hardly the time or place!"

Eris' orb hovered in her off hand, violently throwing off sparks due to agitation. In her other hand, she held her custom built Hand Cannon, Hive's Bane. The weapon was coated with Hive chitin, and small crystals within cast a green glow. In the central chamber, just in front of the cylinder, was a larger crystal, contained within an exposed cage. This crystal powers the shots, coating them in Fel energy.. The angular chitin plates compliment the guns overall slimmer design, making it quite sinistar despite its size. All of this results in an incredibly light, yet dangerously powerful weapon.

"Hehe. You're just jealous Hive girl. You should get out more!"

Resisting the urge to shoot her, Eris simply gritted her teeth and fired on, witling down the screaming horde. That was one good thing about the Hive; they kept her from strangling her "companion".

Suddenly, one of the boulders to their left burst open, allowing more Acolytes and a Knight to clamber out. Eris snarled, her eyes flashing brightly as she lifted her green orb high. The stone inside vibrated violently, and the sphere around it suddenly collapsed, morphing into a fluid like green energy that coated and swirled around Eris' hand. It crackled and sparked, growing brighter in tandem with her eyes.

"Back to your pit from whence you came!"

Thrusting her hand forward, the swirling green energy shoot out from her hand as a concentrated blast. The Acolytes screamed, leaping out of the way to avoid the blast, but they were too late. The shot slammed into the ground and imploded, creating a swirling maelstrom of green energy. The surrounding Hive went rigid, then where yanked back towards the implosion as if by suction force. The glowing eyes of the Knight seemed to leak from its heads, and it's limbs shuddered violently, trying to fight the force that contorted them. Soon, all nearby Hive were yanked into the storm, amplifying their screams into a horrid crescendo. Then, the whole thing detonated with a colossal crash, flinging debris and body parts high into the air.

Eris staggered, dropping to a knee, her sphere reforming in her off hand. The attack had drained a lot of her energy, but she'd recover in time. Luckily, both Zora and the Hive were momentarily stunned by the attack, giving the Dark Guardian her moment to recover.

"Prime s**t! Zat was impressive! But I zink you missed a couple."

Eris glared at Zora before hissing out her response.

"I'd like to see you do better, four eyes."

With a laugh, Zora spun her swords and rushed forward, laughing like a madman. She stormed towards the Hive den, slicing off an Acolyte's head as she ran past it's cover. Eris groaned, slowly pulling herself to her feet and reloading her hand cannon. With a slight stagger, she ran after the Fallen, not wanting to be left behind.

Staggering into the cave, Eris was surprised to see Zora dancing between the legs of two Knights. The beasts snarled loudly, swinging their cleavers in a vain attempt to slaughter the Baroness. But she was too fast. She darted between their legs, leaping over the downward swing of one, then using its upward momentum to leap atop the other. Like a beautiful dance, she rolled over the Knight's shoulder, her swords slicing off an arm and pieces of chest as she went. The creature bellowed in pain, spinning round to smash her, but was greeted by a sword the throat.

As the first Knight was still crumbling into ash, the second rushed forward, swinging at Zora. Acting fast, the Baroness released her sword and did a back handspring, throwing her out of the way of the knight and onto her feet. With her pistols ready, she open fired. The knight snarled in frustration, throwing up a wall of darkness to rid itself of the stinging pain. Using this opening, Zora rushed forward before dropping to the ground and sliding underneath the shield. With her remaining sword, she slashed at the Knight's legs, severing them right at the ankles. With roar, the Knight collapsed backward, barely missing Zora as she slid past it. Once it it hit the ground, she leapt atop it and drove her sword into the Hive's face. The burning embers flew up past her, creating a dramatic effect that rippled her cape. She then stood, picking up her dropped sword and sheathing it as she glanced at Eris.

"How was zat miss brooding?"

Eris grunted, walking forward and not dignifying her with a glance.

"Dramatic and unnecessary. I can see why Cayde likes you."

Snickering, Zora simply shook her head and ran after Eris. Descending into the dark tunnel beyond the entrance, Eris stroked her orb gently, coaxing it into illuminating the area. The descended in silence, stepping past Hive mold and small piles of bones. However, the walls of the tunnel were less normal, with bundles of wires and metal piping running its entire length. Eris glanced at then, her lips pursing with thought.

"This is not Hive engineering. It'is Fallen in design."

"Perhaps ze Dust are controlled by ze Hive. Would certainly explain zeir odd behavior."

"If prisoners are used as puppets, they are typically used as guards. And yet, those were Hive guards back their. And the Hive may be evil, but such evil means that they look down upon using "lesser races" as warriors. Something far darker is going on here."

"Well, ain't zat kryptic."

Eris ignored her, and pressed on. But they didn't get far before Eris froze, lifting a hand to stop Zora.

"Remain still if you wish to live."

She then cradled her orb, stroking it softly and began muttering. With a shimmer, both women disappeared from view just as a Knight crossed in front of their passages exit. However, something about this Knight was odd. It's movements were mechanical, and a bright red square of some kind was embedded in the base of its skull. The redness trailed down its neck before stopping between the shoulder blades.

"Zora. Was that red shape on the Hive before?"

The Fallen hesitated, thinking.

"Now zat you say it, yes, yes it was. Why do you ask?"

"Because. Those shapes are not Hive. They are foreign to them. I need a closer look."

Creeping forward, Eris broke her stealth, peeking out of the tunnel exit. The Knight stood not fifteen feet away, its back to her.

She tried to get closer, her eyes narrow to try and get a good look at the red shape. Then, unexpectedly, the Knight turned, and their eyes met.

For a moment, the two sets of Hive eyes were locked, boring into each other with fierce intensity. Then, the Knight snarled, its teeth chattering before opening wide. However, before it could release its snarl, Eris bolted towards it, activating her dark blink. In a flash of shadow, she vanished from view, only to reappear behind the Knight, leaping onto its back. Her orb morphed, melting into her hand as the stone shard within was wrapped in energy, forming a blade.

With a snarl of her own, Eris drove her blade into the Knight's shoulder, piercing between the chitin plates and severing nerve tendrils. At the same time, she drove her hand into the back of its neck, her fingers wrapping around the small metal chip. She then ripped it out, the long wires tearing out the back of the neck and coating her in black plasmatic ooze.

The Knight's snarled morphed into a haggard groan, the fiery light in its eyes fizzling out like a machine denied power. Eris leapt off just as the beast collapsed to its knees then back, its flesh dissolving from within its armored plates. Zora came forward, eyeing the scattering armor before glancing over to Eris. The dark guardian had her hand lifted up, slowly examining the glowing red device between her fingers. The dangling wire beneath it pulsed steadily, like a heartbeat. Zora stepped up next to her, eyes narrowing as she looked at it.

"Ahhh, What is zat? A computer chip?"

Eris tilted it, bringing it close.

"Whatever it is, it is not Hive in origin. At least… not in a normal way. Something about this, is unsettling. Its aurra is darker than it should be."

Zora rolled her eyes.

"Could you please cut ze cryptic crap? It's really annoying."

"So are you and yet you remain."

Zora huffed, grumbling some. Eris smiled ever so slightly, eyeing her before going back to the device.

"Its transmission, I believe this is a controlling device. Those Hive were being controlled."

She glanced to the tunnel.

"We must go down. See where this leads."

Eris pocked the chip, then turned for the tunnel. With a silent groan, Zora followed after her, not wanting to argue with the dark guardian. The walked on, deeper and deeper into the tunnel, passing more electrical cable, metal piping and even artificial lights built into the walls. All of this resembled a Fallen base more than a Hive den. Though Eris was not put at ease. It was all so wrong. The light, the walls, the very air itself felt tainted and disturbed. Something truly dark was happening down here, and they were getting close to its source.

The sound of chattered caused Eris to cease. Zora nearly tripped over the smaller woman, but caught herself before dropping to a knee. The two warriors listened closely. Two, no three voices were echoing down the hall. They were raspy and guttural voices, harsh and loud with long, drawn out breaths and lots of clicking and tongue rolls.

"Zat, zat is like Fallen tongue. But different. I've heard it spoken before."

Eris eyed her, then slowly crept forward; her head peaked round the corner, widening with what she saw.

Three Fallen stood within a large chamber, working over operating tables and containment devices. They were dressed in long, trailing cloaks, colored like ancient sand, and with cloth wraps covering their limbs. Large hoods sat over their heads, casting their faces in shadow so only their glowing green eyes were visible. However, it was what they were operating on that stopped Eris' heart.

Strung up between large jagged beams, multiple Hive were stretched out spread eagle so they couldn't move. Thrall, Acolytes, Knights and even a couple Hive where all strung up like this, and all in different stages of mutilation. Many of the Acolytes had their eyes torn out, black plasmatic ooze dripping down their faces much like Eris. Knights had massive chains wrapped around them, with needle like spike driven through their limbs and torsos. Despite this, the Knights snarled and struggled, pulling against their chains and spikes so that ash poured from their bodies profusely. The wizards had large metal beams driven through their shoulders, with several tubes protruding from their sides. Metal gag beams were in their mouths, causing them to gag and snarl against them, desperate to get free. The gags must be to prevent them from screaming. However, it was the Thrall who were in the worst condition.

Their normal feral behavior was gone, replaced by pained grunts and the occasional shiver. The limbs were bent back at awkward angles, no doubt broken from the restraining chains. Ash dripped from the cuts in their arms and legs, and their forms lay limp within the restraints. Large tubes were stuck down their throats, syphoning out the thick, plasmatic discharge fluid that all Hive emitted. These tubes pumped the fluid into collection banks placed on either side of them, shuddering softly as they pumped out the fluid.

However, all of the Hive had something in common. Metal spikes were driven through their stomachs from behind, with what looked like red wires extending outward from the spikes. The red color mated the pulsing tubes and powered machinery that surrounded the Hive, all pulsing like a heartbeat. Occasionally, one of the Fallen would check one of these machines, withdrawing small pieces of them or flipping switches. Others moved from Hive to Hive, glancing over them, prodding them with strange tools or even shaving off samples.

Eris grimaced, disgusted by what she was seeing. Not that she cared for the Hive, her hatred for them was stronger than most. However, seeing Fallen brutally experimenting on them, while they themselves pulsed with dark auras similar to the Hive. It all sickened her. Suddenly, her orb flashed brightly, throwing off sparks and crackling like a fried circuit board. Eris flinched, trying to covering up the flashing sphere before it alerted the Fallen. A shrill, surprised screech alerted her that she'd unfortunately failed.

Eris was suddenly yanked back as Zora grabbed her shoulder, causing her to fumble to hold onto her orb. All around them, the cries of alarm continued and they were not happy. Breaking into the first room with all the passageways, Zora froze, uncertain of her direction. She then swore as more cloaked and wrapped Fallen clambered out of a side chamber. They snarled, lifting strange weapons as their glowing green helmet's shone from beneath their hoods. In response, Eris lifted her hand cannon and fired first.

The nearest Vandal stumbled backwards as the high powered solar round slammed through its skull and spattered the back wall with grey fluid. The others quickly retaliated and fired back just as Zora picked a tunnel. Void coated rounds lammed into the surrounding walks, showering Eris with dissolving debris. With a growl, she fired back down the tunnel, hoping to at least keep them at bay. However, it was difficult to both fire behind her and run to keep up with the larger Fallen.

"Do you know where we're going?"

"I'm working on it!"

Zora snarled, rounding another corner only to be met with a T junction. Turning right, she continued down the tunnel and Eris followed. However, they didn't get far before they were forced to stop again. Before them, another Knight blocked their path, snarling as it held its Cleaver high. On either side of it, four Dust Vandals stood, their weapons raised and aimed at the intruders. Eris glanced behind her, eyes narrowing as two more Vandal's blocked the passage behind. Unfortunately, her hadn't been able to recharge her powers since she last used them. They couldn't blast out this time. Zora snarled, her teeth gnashing together loudly as she yelled.

"Disgusting vermin! Fraternizing wizz Hive! Torture and mutilation! What are you?!"

"What indeed."

The Vandal's parted, and the Knight stepped to the side as another figure stepped forward. They would be taller than the Knight if they stood up, but their slouch put them just under its shoulders. This was made up by the massive single row of spikes jutting up from its spine. A huge, hooded cloak was draped over its shoulders, completely shadowing their features within darkness. Five glowing green eyes shown out from within, glaring at Eris. Skulls of both Eliksni and human dangled from their belt, rattling as they walked forward. In their right hand, they held a simple metal staff, topped with a Thrall's head, skewered on the top. The figure looked like some sort of Archon Priest, and it made Eris' skin crawl. Not just from its appearance, but from its aura. It was dark and twisted, writhing in horrid agony as it fought against the natural sanity of life itself. This abomination was unnatural.

"What are we mere mortals, but simply Dust in the wind."

When the Archon spoke, it's voice raspy and deep, a horse echo following and repeating its words. The Archon's presence caused Eris' orb to frantically spark, the voices within practically screaming to Eris, though she had difficulty understanding them. Something else was going on here, and her rock was warning her. The Archon took notice, its eyes narrowing on Eris.

"A LightBearer wielding darkness, whispering with Hive and spinning their Magic. And you call me an abomination."

The Archon rolled its shoulder, and Eris could see it was plagued by aches and pains. From the Darkness that rotted his muscles, she felt no pity for the beast.

"I have my reasons, creature. What are yours. An entire Fallen House, bent to the wills of the Hive! Fraternizing in their magic and controlling their minions. Don't think I can't see what you've been hiding from the other Houses. You have Hive worms inside of you. They writhe and squirm within your belly, eating at your entrails and perverting your minds. You play with powers you couldn't possibly understand!"

The entire room seemed to go silent. Only the horse breathing of the Fallen and the low growl of the Knight could be heard. The Archon shifted again, his eyes locked on Eris.

"Well well. Is that so? You think the power that we wield is beyond our control? That we cannot possibly understand what we are doing? Perhaps."

He stepped forward, causing Zora to growl but he ignored her.

"Perhaps you are right, corrupt Lightbearer. But know this. The end is coming. The Second Whirlwind draws near. The bringers of our end have been Chosen and they will rend this galaxy of all its life! They will devour and destroy all that lay in their path. Except us. We will endure. We will survive! And your pathetic Traveler cannot save you!"

He suddenly jerked his hand up, green energy swirling around it. Eris' orb was ripped from her hands, flying through the air before landing in the Archon's. Her eyes went wide and she lunged forward, but was stopped when the Knight stepped forward. She glared at the Archon, practically shuddering with rage. He ignored her, studying the orb before squeezing it. The green sphere around the stone fractured, splitting open like broken glass. The Stone inside sparked and shuddered violently, its energy and screams now open to the air.

All the Fallen, even the Knight, stepped back and covered their ears as the unholy cries and muttering split the air. Only Eris and the Archon were unaffected, both glaring at each other and the stone.

"So this is how you know so much. I will need to study it. Perhaps you will be useful as well."

"To hell with you. Crota already took everything from me, I have nothing left for you to take!"

"We shall see. Take them."

The Archon turned, striding down the hall with the screaming stone in his hand. The Vandals and Knight moved in, binding them both. Eris didn't fight them, she simply listened. The screams and whispers finally where clear. With the shell gone, she could make out the message now, and it echoed in her mind.

" **I am here! They are coming! Please save me!"**

* * *

Lord Urrox seethed, grinding his teeth as he paced across the floor. Nearby, Lord Trovok of the Fist of Alak leaned against the wall, the Dark Knight no doubt amused by his fevered pacing.

"I take it the assault on your father's dreadnought went poorly."

" **How would you know that! I never saw ANY of your forces there."**

"Oh rest assured my young Urrox, I was there. You'd be surprised how many I liberated from the Sunless Pit."

Urrox stopped, turning and glaring at the Dark Knight. Flame erupted from his body, and his eyes glowed violently.

" **So. Your true intentions are revealed. ALL THIS TIME YOU WERE SEEKING TO LIBERATE YOUR MASTER! YOU CARE NOT FOR MY ASCENSION!"**

Trovok only laughed, unimpressed by Urrox's brash display of anger and power.  
"Did I ever mention the Sunless Cell? No. But the majority of the Fist are located beneath the cell. If this coup of yours wishes to succeed, you will require the Fists. Though, you will need others as well."

Urrox snarled, turning away from the dark one. He had nothing to say to that. Despite what he'd like to believe, the Flames simply lacked the size to pull this off.

" **And what, pray tell, are you suggesting?"**

Trovok smirked, pushing himself off of the pillar. His narrow maroon cape fluttered some as he stepped forward, the glow from Urrox illuminating his bleached white mask.

"You've already made a deal with the devil. I say, why not go farther. Why not make a deal with a god?"

" **You're an imbecile if you think any within my father's court would side with me. They all believe I killed HER! That's what fractured us in the first place. Crota's throne is rightfully mine! But they all deny me!"**

"That maggot had it coming, and the throne is rightfully yours. But the one who I am suggesting does not care for the council, or your throne. They merely care for the changing tide my young prince. And we both know that the change involves you."

" **And…. you believe their promise? You truly believe that this change will crush my father and all the filth that follow his rule?"**

"I do indeed sire. The are part of what your Father fears after all."

" **Very well. Prepare your forces Trovok. In 36 hours, we shall strike again. But first… we shall embrace this offered gift. We shall contact the Chosen."**

* * *

 **Author's Note: This was a most interesting chapter to write, but I'm glad it's finally done. Took long enough. I had a MAJOR writing block over the summer. Just couldn't get into the mood to write. But! The update is back. I apologize for the 2-parter. I finished the first half and realized it could be released separate. Desperate to grant you fine readers an update, I posted it. Hope you understand.**

 **At any rate! What an exciting chapter! The appearance of House Dust, the treachery of Urrox and his Flames, the arrival of more foes and a new Enemy who seems to have a vendetta. How interesting, ehehehehehe. Next chapter will focus more on our Mass Effect friends, and show even more of what's happening. Please review, I wish to know what you lovely readers have to say! Things are heating up ladies and gentlemen. Hold your loved ones close and prepare, for the Second Whirlwind draws near! Until next time, this is ZOMAN, signing off!**


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